3rd Wave

This is really interesting discussion. The Type 95 that i recently purchased has a dark green paint. I've noticed that it has a texture to it almost like it was wrapped in a cloth while still tacky. Makes me wonder if this wasnt done to remove the metallic sheen and make the saya more appropriate for night operations. Just a thought. I can see the IJA doing this as they were meticulous in camoflauge and dedicated night fighters as well. It seems aa plausible a reason as any.

Thanks all. Grandads original sword was a type 98 in a type 95 scabbard. As a boy i didnt realize that the scabbard was a mismatched NCO scabbard, i only knew that the side latch on the sword didnt mate. I remember it well. The saya on this sword does match. It is not black paint but a dark green over the typical lighter olive green paint. Someone along the way has scratched "JP Ha cc430702" into the blade (electropencil) and scabbard. The scabbard also has the remnants of a heavy masking tape with "430702" still visible. Here is the sword with the Type 38 rifle and bayonet that Grandad gave to my father. Ive fired it and it still holds a good group.

Well, a little backstory. My Grandfather served in the Pacific war 1942-1946, USN. He was attached to the marines for the Okinawa battle, and made the landings there with them in the 3rd wave. He returned stateside in '46, and brought several items home as souvenirs which he gave to his 2 sons, my late father and uncle. Included were 2 Japanese swords, one short bladed ( to my uncle, and still posessed by my cousin), and a long sword, given to my Dad. It was tradtional in appearance and was a source of fascination for me the whole time i was growing up. Well, it was stolen from my Dads house by some workmen about 2006 or so. Ive always missed it and for a few years have been looking to replace it with a similar one. My brother and i initially only looked at traditionally made officers swords, but most were outside of our budget. We gradually agreed that an NCO machine made sword would suit our purpose just as well. This sword was purchased on Ebay last week. It has some imperfections that kept the price reasonable, and we are fine with that. Perhaps some of you saw this auction. Anyway, thanks for reading this far. Here is our "Grandfather's sword".