Bloodaxe924

Any clue on how old it is? I know it was brought over during WW2. Do you have any suggestions on where I can take it to have it looked at? I can't find many local places and I haven't had much luck online with the big auction places. Thanks for the info!

No signature anywhere that I can see. It is pretty dirty so there could be one in the darker areas. I was trying to upload from my iphone.

As much as I enjoy Asian art of all mediums, I am much more of an amateur genealogist than a collector. My passion is in finding where my ancestors came from and their stories along the way. This sword and silk painting are just a small blip on the map of my family’s story and in my opinion never truly belonged to them other than the fact that my uncle was on midway island. No disrespect for military collectors, it’s just not sentimental to me in a way that some things are that directly tell a part of my family’s history. I have a deep respect for Japanese culture and art and find it very interesting, but I am not financially stable enough to collect any of it. Especially recently as I have been on disability due to medical issues. I was asking because I was curious about not only the value, but the history behind the sword. I’m not sure if I want to sell it currently, but I would love for it to go to someone like the kind folks I’ve conversed with on this forum. I know anyone on here would care for it and respect it and appreciate as much as I have and even more. Thank you for the information you’ve shared. I was really stumped about the black saya. Sounds like a lot of folks are as well 😂

Hey! I’m Shaun. I live in Kentucky and I have just started to research some items from my Grandfather and his brother who were both in the marine corps. My Great uncle was a little older and joined just as WW2 was ending and luckily never saw combat, although he did see the aftermath as he was stationed on midway island when the bombs dropped. He was a (very organized) hoarder and saved every scrap of everything in his life until he passed about 10 years ago. He left a treasure trove of memories and historical items behind and I was lucky enough to inherit a few things, including the Shin Gunto and the silk painting that I recently shared. My family also has a lot of German items from that time period as some of the family emigrated from there in the 30s. Everyone has been super nice and helpful so far. I really appreciate it!

I recently posted about a Shin gunto that was passed down from a relative. I was also given a silk painting as well that I assume he brought back at the same time. I’ve asked for more information on several other sites but no luck so far. Even heritage auctions told me they couldn’t find information. Maybe I’ll get lucky here! I couldn’t upload the pictures due to file size but I included Google drive links below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11xRtnLrhhjhqJnC1zcA3eJV6vVLnvJLA/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qZzEA9sDtmv0N26WTxvgk7DlXLqNs1nB/view?usp=drivesdk

If it helps the debate about originality or whether the black painted saya is a war time alteration, I know that this sword has been kept in a trunk buried deep inside a (very hoarded) basement since my relative came back from the war. So I’m 99% sure that he did not paint it himself and that this is the way it was when he acquired it in 1945. Also, after looking closely at the saya, there are some worn down spots where it looks like there is a brownish/green paint underneath. The top of the saya where the serial number is located has drippings from the paint job that made it difficult to see the serial number. It’s hard to get a picture of the number but in person you can see the serial does match the blade. Does the black saya affect the value of the sword?

I’m very new at sword collecting and this is my first sword. It was given to me by a relative who was on Midway island right before the US dropped the bombs on Japan. He was fortunate to have never seen action and the story is he traded a pack of cigarettes for this sword at the base he was stationed at. I guess I just mainly want to share the sword and see if anyone has insights. From what I gathered from the interwebs it is an earlier model aluminum hilt made at the Suya Sho Ten company in Tokyo for the navy. I have yet to see one with a black scabbard but the serial numbers match on the blade and scabbard. I know that the Kai-Gunto sometimes had a black lacquered scabbard but this is clearly the 95 type. TIA!