Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'gunto'.
-
Hi all I've just found this forum and it's excellent, so I thought I'd just introduce myself and say hello from Scotland, the actual place where the sun don't shine. I'm a middle aged guy from Glasgow with a general interest in history and culture - visiting Japan for the first time later this year, which has been a long held ambition of mine. A few years ago, I inherited a Japanese military sword from my late father who served in India, Burma and Malaya during WW2. It has been kept in various cupboards for pretty much the last 70 years and I thought it was about high time that I started to do some research on it. From the research I've been doing online, it looks every inch to be a shin gunto, but I was just wondering if anyone would be able to tell how and maybe even where it was made, e.g. machine made, or partially hand forged, etc. It's got a hamon, but not much evidence of hada and stamps on each side of the tang, although they're pretty difficult to make out. I've posted a few pics here (sorry about the quality). If anyone would be happy to take a look, that would be brilliant. Thanks and all the best Jim
-
Hi All, I have been asked to carve a Bokuto from a war capture sword. This sword was obtained directly from the returned soldier who obtained it, so I believe it is genuine. I think it is by Ido Hidetoshi, who worked out of Seki Before and into WW2. It has an interesting shape, and is between a Wakisashi and Katana in length, but perhaps with the shape of a Katate Uchi(?). From the various Bokuto I have carved from it in Australian hardwoods, it handles and feels balanced as a one haded sword I will post initial pics, if more are required (perhaps the full tang?) forgive me, I will take and post them as soon as possible. All the best, and thanks in advance, Stu Smith
-
Got a Japanese military sword and don't know anything about it
-
Hi, in my wood handle collection, I have noticed two varieties of NCO scabbard drag. All in the 2xxxxx series. One is larger and more pronounced, see photos. Could some one throw some light on this variation please? Neil.
-
HI all, I got this pretty little (22inch) WW2 mounted sword, I have been told, is SOTEN. Nice engraved silver HABAKI with hundreds of little stars, MUMEI, with a provision for a SARUTE. I would love to learn more about its age locality or any thing else about it. The fittings look like a SAMURAI helmet, Samurai battle fan etc. Looking forward to hearing from you, Neil.
-
Hi, I have noticed that at some point in the production of the 98 model gunto, that the decoration on the fittings on some swords changed. The cherry blossom and leaves were dropped in favour of a stipple plain finish. Was this done as a regulation, ease of production, or a variation from one fitting maker to another? Pictures attached of a 1942 compared to a 1944 variant. Neil.
-
Hello all, Can someone or anyone please tell me a little about this addition 2 b!? Problem is that all i have is his description/photos of sword thats it. It's in transit at the moment. and I'll post better when in hand.ta
-
Hi, help in translating this tag would be greatly appreciated. Neil
-
Hi, first of all 'kudoss' & congrats on the site. I'm a first timer..so pls be gentle. Sorry in advance for a thread. To the job at hand, I inherited from great grandfather a ww2 sword many a year ago. I remember the day as a kid, him showing & telling me all the stories. From that very first day as a kid, (think I claimed it!) I always kept my eye on it. Now 40ish, I blew the dust of it 3-4 mths ago & thought I'd give it another look. My dad's m8 had a go long ago & told us 'it's nothing, military made, standard thing pumped out in the day, not worth 1-2 hundred maybe, cr*p!..' and that's what my dad thought ever since, but not me i still though mine(only seen a cool sword). Here's what I've got so far, the mei (i hope!) is Noshu ju Kanenobu & was made in showa period march 1944. The blade is shinto style and tachi in length at a little over 27". The nakago is star & arsenal stamped + 'ho' stamped on mune. Slight gunome hamon, bit rough, but still sharp as 70 odd yrs on, since sharpened!. In shin-gunto type-3 military mount. It came with a tag, since learnt possible surrender tag(thought name tag).. That's where I'm part stuck.. So far I've got, Rikugun shoi, army sec.sub lieutenant, Okazaki eiiki? eiichi? aichi? Thats all I got. Anyone that would be able to translate it & check the mei+date & be able to tell a little more info. on sword 2 cross reference mine(so i can tell my dad it's not the cr*p sword like he thinks). Since I live in the land of kangaroos & koalas (Aust.) I would love to have the blade professionally sharpened & polished, but am very limited on options. Would anyone know of someone that can be trusted to do the job?!?(I know really only Japan) but you got to ask. Is the blade worth the polish? Or? is the polish worth more than the blade?! Pls post reply, any info. is all good. Sorry again for length of thread. Cheers, check out pics.
-
Hello All Looking for some advice on where to find replacement screws for ishizuke (Chape-tip) (model 44-blackish color), need one screw here, and one for Kuchi-Gane (throat) have no ideas where to even start as far as size etc (maybe .5MM???) Also need a couple of screws for am early war shin-gunto (the type with open cast patina covered Tsuba and the fairly standard OD green Saya. Any ideas on where to look? Thanks -
Hi, I'm a newbie here, have lurked a bit on sword forums to get some ideaof what I have here. This sword was handed down from my father, who brought it home in 1949 as a war souvenir from the Dutch colonial war in Indonesia (then the Dutch Indies). Indonesia had been occupied by the Japanese and premuably, many Japanese swords were recuperated by allied soldiers and Indonesian fighters after the Japanese capitulation. My father served three years in the colonial war from 1946 to 1949. I assume this is a shin-gunto officer's sword, but it has been very badly treated by a former user (maybe an Indonesian freedom fighter, they did a lot of chopping and beheading in those years) and neglected afterwards. It sat in the attic for decades without even a saya or any other form of blade protection. It is terribly scratched, I can not find the location of the peg that holds the tsuka to the tang as it seems to be hidden beneath the ray skin (which thus may have been added after the wooden handle was fitted to the tang, not the other way around; strange). The tsuka-ito wrapping has almost entirely gone but must have been kaki coloured. I can not find any serial numbers or other markings on the blade or the tsuba or other places, and I am afraid to damage the ray skin in order to find the peg and take the handle off. Thus it is not easy to identify this. Given its age and the fact that my dad took it home himself in 1949, I guess it is not a fake, but just a badly treated gunto. There may have been a hamon but in this condition, it is not visible. There are some flaws in the blade, it is convex, as is the spine (not flat) so I am not sure if this was a machine-stamped or a manually made blade. There is no decoration on the pommel but the tsuba has some decoration. Altogether, a weird combination. It balances well, with the centre of gravity about 13 (a bit over 5 inches) cm in front of the tsuba, and the sword balances on a narrow piece of wood in spite of its beveled (non-flat) spine, without falling sideways or oscillating. It feels like it would swing properly. I want to try and do some mild restoration, without changing its 'rough war sword' aspect too much. I don't care what it's worth in financial terms, just want some opinions on its possible qualities/identification (if any), as a family keepsake. Comments from the experts here? Is this thing cr... or aything meaningful? Thanks. photos (see if this works):
-
Hi all, My name is Wouter and i currently live and work form the Czech Republic. I have studied Japanology and always dreamed of possessing a "katana". Last week I risked my first buy and discovered your forum. Before bothering you with my questions, I would like to thank every contributor to this forum. The information I have found so far has been extremely useful and only augmented my fascination. Please do forgive my lack of knowledge and making this new topic so long. These are my questions: 1. I discovered that the exact same gunto I currently possess has been described here. Please do refer to that site for the pictures of blade, tang and fittings. Yes, the year is incorrect, since Showa 17 is 1942, not 43 as written on that site. They are however correct when saying that the previous owner has "destroyed" the polish and making it impossible to "read" the blade (IE determine if it is gendaito). The Hamon is dead and only visible in 2 spots. I have discovered that there are 3 stamps on the Mune. A Mei, or Nagoya arsenal inspection stamp and a Ho inspection stamp. these are followed by a stamped number 1. This number matches with the tsuba and spacers. There is however no star stamp on the tang, but there are nowhere any arsenal stamps (apart from the inspection stamps). Since the date on this gunto is Sho 17, being the year when the star stamp system got implemented, does this mean that it is not a gendaito? Now I have found this "Gendaito", which is almost exactly the same, including the arsenal inspection stamps on the mune. They describe it as hand forged. This brings me to question 2: The gunto is signed "Seki-Ju Kanetomo". The seller from whom i bought the gunto assigned the signature to Ryūminsai Kanetomo (born as Kiribuchi Mataishi). I found out both are listed as members of the Rikugun Jumei Tosho, but Ryuminsai (KAN2550) is from Gunma, while Seki refers to the city in Mino province, Gifu prefecture. There is about 300 km between both prefectures? Also the Mei (signature) of Ryūminsai Kanetomo is: 上野住人龍眠齋兼友作 “Kozuke Junin Ryūminsai Kanetomo Saku”. Would he also sign as “Seki-ju Kanetomo Saku”? To add to the confusion, the "gendaito" offered via the second link I provided translates the Mei as KANETOMO Kiribuchi (rated one million yen smith in slough's book, pg.69, medium to high grade gendaito, 1st seat 1941 sword exhibition) Are these 3 different persons, or one and the same? Sorry for having made this first entry so long. I do hope you will be able to shed some light on these questions. they have kept me awake for over a week now... Thank you very much in advance, Wouter PS If you are interested in the purchasing history of this gunto. I have reached out to my seller and he confirms it is the same gunto as on quanoline.com. He has bought it from a Czech-American selIer 4 years ago, and he had it from militaryitems.com.
-
Hello, I just noticed this Type 25 NCO cavalry sword on eBay. It is an uncommon sword and I do not have my referrence material on hand at the moment so I have no opinion on its authenticity, I just wanted to signal it for anyone looking for such a sword. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-NCO-saber-WWII-Rare-/181681325424?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a4d0d0570 Personally, I am looking for a Type 19 cavalry officer sword (either company or field grade). If anyone has one for sale or know someone who does, I would be interested.
-
Hello All, Well, I guess I am another one of the inheritors, I picked up a Gunto last month while cleaning my Moms estate, both in a box that said give/throw away! My mom (age 94) said it was just junk that my uncle had brought back after VJ. I think it is a type 98 (or so my wobbly research would indicate) with all mounting etc. My brother painted the saya (arghhhh) to dress up as soldier in a school play. I never really noticed it, but regardless of value, my uncle did take the sword on Saipan, while serving as an Army tank crew commander. I then got the fever and bought a second unmounted blade at a local Gun show, probably just got hit by a Chinese stealth weapon, as I guess it is their intent to subvert and remove all the joy for imperialist new collectors. There is picture attached which I think is the Type 98 gunto no marking on nakago, and the tang seems like it was either cut or intentionally made short. Conversely, my gun-show unmounted blade seems noticeably heavier, and noticeably thicker right at the top notch point. The owner said the unmounted blade might have been Naval, but he was not for sure. I realize the script maybe important and tell me meeeahh, the sword is worth nothing or maybe something, I will get that checked later. If it turns out to be of little of no value I hope to make it into a restoration project anyway. Hence the following questions: My most immediate question is why the nakago (tang) lengths (measured from base of Habaki to the tip of tang) are so different? The one taken from my mother's home measures about 14 cm and the gun show 100 dollar wonder measurements from base of Habaki to tail is just under 20cm. Was there a standard tang length? My mounted Gunto has an almost straight cut at the end of the tang, and the blade itself has some what of a gentle curve, whilst the unmounted one has a pronounced long skinny tapper to it tang? Lastly are all meguki whole locations somewhat different?
-
Hi all, Im from Portugal, i own this sword (atachment) ... i sent to an apraiser he said it was worthless, then i took it to another apraiser he said he didnt know this kind of swords .... So i used an internet apraisal site, and they said it was a WWII Imperial Japanese Officer´s Kyu Gunto Sword ... If enyone can take a minute an look at it, i would really like a honest opinion on it ... Regards Daniel
-
All, It dawned on me, since the Japanese Sword Index is now maintained by the NMB, that we could now expand/update the oshigata database to include more examples of existing smiths as well as add some that are missing. This site was vital for me as a new collector, when I had a rather paltry book collection - mainly Slough's, and I still occasionally visit it when trying to help newer members here quickly/when mobile. I think it would be excellent if we could update this site and that it would be beneficial not just for us, but for others in the community that are looking for information on Showa era smiths. Is there any support or willingness to take on this update? I would be happy to assist in anyway possible. -
Hello, I am looking for a gold sword knot/tassel for an infantry officer field grade kyu gunto. See picture below. One just escaped me on eBay last week end because I was away and I am rather put out about it. It was sold for $ 145. I am proposing a purchase price of 150 to 250 dollars.
-
Hello, this is my first post in this site and I hope someone can help me here. I'm from PERU and there isn't almost no way to get a katana here because there isn't a lot a people selling them or because you have to get a lot of permissions to import a bladed weapon or any kind of weapon actually. But recently I found a person who is selling his WW2 Gunto Katana on the internet here in my city. He has posted some pictures of the blade, so I wanted to ask if someone can tell approximately if this Katana is authetic or not and give an appraisal if it is possible. Here are the pictures posted by the seller, They are the only pictures and info that I have because I have to actually click on "purchase" to contact with the seller. The seller's description: "WW2 GUNTO KANTANA ORIGINAL Japanese KATANA UNIQUE IN PERU COMPLETELY GOOD CONDITION, REAL EDGE TAMAHAGANE STEEL" The seller is asking $900 (USD) for the katana and I want to know if it is possible to know if the price is right. I know that maybe they aren't enough to tell with certain if it is authentic or not but I will really appreciate your opinions. Thank you, Akira
-
Hello Gents, I have recently been looking at Koshirae in more detail and have come across a few Tsuka where Samegawa has not been used, they all just happen to be in Gunto mounts. The first couple of pics could either be low quality same or another material, The second pic comes from a Amahide blade on the UK to-ken society sword register. Finally the last couple of pics come from a Tsuka currently for sale on Ebay. What is the material used, it is described as doe skin or leather? and is it only used on Gunto, maybe because of a war time material shortage? Does anyone else have examples of this to share? Regards, Adam
-
Collectors--I have 15 swords currently for sale. Photos and descriptions of the swords can be seen on my website: www.StCroixBlades.com. To see all of the swords, click on 'SHOP', then 'Japanese SWORDS'. I'll have room for a little price negotiation on most swords. I can be reached at mbrice@stcroixblades.com for any questions. Thank you!
-
Hello, Just to inform that a Naval kyu gunto is for sale on eBay. The rare combat sword, not the common parade sabre. http://www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-Japanese-SAMURAI-SWORD-NAVAL-KYU-GUNTO-KATANA-NIHONTO-/221785204292?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a36da644
-
Hello, I noticed this rare sword on eBay. It was issued to high ranking Chosen (Korea) colonial administration officials, bearing the administrative title of sonnin kan, that is the civilian equivalent to Army superior officiers (major to colonel rank). http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-WWII-Japanese-KyuGunto-Hand-Forged-Army-Officers-Dress-Parade-Sword-/301575485134 It is an interesting sword for the Imperial Japan militaria collector. Like all colonial swords, it looks like a Navy 1883 type dress sword, with the main difference being the side insigns on the backstrap. It bears the 5-7-5 kiri emblem, which was used (among other functions) as a symbol of the Chosen (Korea) colony after the annexation of Korea by Japan. An interesting feature of this kind of sword is the similiarity between the floral motif on the guard and the one on the 1890 type sword for IJA Navy. It is also interesting because it is held together by a menuki, whic is rare for this kind of sword. Therefore, it can be taken apart. The seller is pretending that the blade was hand-forged, which I sincerely doubt since the hamon looks acid-etched. Anyway, it is a very good piece and the seller obviously does not know what he is selling. Cheers. Thibault
