Taken At Kabwet, Burma

[Dick Tait]

I have had the opportunity to study the Japanese swords in a local military museum, this one particular sword is head and shoulders above the rest. I am looking for some clarification of what I interpret it to be?!!!

 

This sword was taken from a Japanese Warrant Officer at Kabwet, Burma in 1945. It is in Type 98 mounts with a Company Grade Tassel. So why was an Officer's sword in the possession of an NCO? Well, perhaps the story is wrong or perhaps the Officer had been killed and the NCO, knowing it was a prized sword of the officer, was intending to return it to the family?

 

Measurements:

 

Nagasa:            69.5cms

Nakago:            18.5cms

Sori:                    1.6cms

Moto-Haba:         3.0cms

Saki-Haba:          2.0cms

Moto-Kasane:     0.7cms

Saki-Kasane:      0.5cms

 

Tsukurikomi:     Shinogi-Zukuri

Nakago:            O-Suriage, Three (3) Mekugi-Ana

Nakago-Jiri:      Kiri-Jiri

Yasurime:         None

Mune:               Ihori

Bo-Hi:               Kaki-Nagashi / Kata-Chiri / Hisaki-Sugaru

Kissaki:             Chu-Kissaki

Boshi:               Kaen(?) / Kaeri(?)

Hada:               Mokume

Hamon:            Chu-Suguha (Nei-Deki with Nijuba, Uchinoke & Hakikake), The Hamon rises in final 12cms to enter half-way up Yokote).

 

 

I believe that all this points towards: O-Suriage Tachi from the Late Nanbukucho / Early Muromachi period (1375-1428) and from the Yamato Shikkane School, possibly Norinaga?

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks.

[paulb]

Hi Dick

It's an interesting looking piece and datewise you may well be right.

From your images and description there is nothing that I can see that would point directly towards Shikkake.  I am not saying you are wrong and you have examined the sword in hand while I am looking at images.

Although you describe some features in the hamon which you might expect in this school   I cant see any, and you dont mention any, of the more typical Shikkake characterisitcs such as sunagashi in the hamon, Shikkake hada is normally a combination of itame and nagare with masame hada running close to and through the hamon. It does not usually include mokume to any great extent.. Why do you think this is a possibilty?

Having spent a lot of time recently preparing a presentation on Yamato work I was struck at how difficult it was to differentiate between Yamato schools, especially as you get in to the later work, they all seem to merge charactersitics. If this is Muromachi it would be later Shikkake when many of the distinctive Norinaga features were already dissapearing.

If you pm me with an email address i will forward some images of Shikkake hada I have (too big for posting here) which might help you assessment.

Best Regards

Paul

[Bruce Pennington]

OLD POST!

 

Interesting provenance.  I'd say the answer is that the soldier was a Warrant Officer.  I'm no expert in Japanese rank structure, but I would think he would be allowed to carry the officer gunto, company grade tassel.  There was no tassel for Warrant Officers.