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Buka Island Tags


Ian B3HR2UH

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Does anyone have a sword with a Buka Island tag on it?

 

Buka Island is at the northern tip of Bouganville . At the end of the war the northern part of Bouganville and Buka island were garrisoned by the 87th Naval Garrison unit commanded by Captain Kato . The 32nd Navy pioneers and the 211 Navy pioneers had been combined into this unit . It was said that it consisted of civilians with Naval regulars as NCO's and officers .The units strength was said to be 1000 Naval troops and 2000 civilians.

 

Following the surrender officers from the Australian 2 Corps HQ visited Buka on an inspection tour.. There is a series of photographs at the Australian War Memorial taken at this time showing surrendered swords arrayed alongside a grass hut with Japanese troops looking for their swords to affix the tags to . The photos were taken on the 19th of September 1945 .The swords were later taken to 2 Corps HQ where they were distributed .

 

The tags are all relatively similar . They are on a piece of wood about 9cm  by 2.8 cm. On one side written in Japanese is the officers name branch of service and rank . On the reverse in English is a space for a number to be inserted and an English translation of the information on the other side . The number is filled in in a different pencil and is sometimes absent . The translated names are written western style with the forename and then the surname ,as i have done .

 

Over the years I have made a note of these swords when I have come across them. In numerical order these are 

No 4 Staff Surgeon Takahashi Shin gunto , showa blade

No 3837 Sub officer Takashi Hisamatsu Shingunto showa blade 

No 83 Surgeon Hideo Okamura . Katana style mounts, blade by Hizen Kanehiro with a huge bullet scar on it

No 147 Surgeon ( I didn't note the name ) Tachi mount with shakudo nanako fittings with gold clove ( ? ) design . Mumei grooved suriage blade . A fine piece . 

No 161 1st Lieutenant Akina Saka . Naval kyugurto with mumei  suriage shinto blade . This sword was once owned by Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey.

No 179 Chief technical warrant officer Kenzo Obe , gunto style mount with mumei old blade

No 189 Commander Shiro Suzuki . Shingunto with a gendai blade by Oshu Masatomo.

No 227 1st warrant officer ambulance Kichitaro Ogawa. Old blade in saya no other mounts

No number Captain Masahira Ikeda . Kaigunto mount . Blade signed Kaneuji and dated 1331 . A showa fake . The mounts all have the name Ikeda scratched on them

No number (split tag ) Ist Lieutenant Seiji Okamoto . Kai gunto ,old mumei blade

No number equipment 1st warrant officer Matao Amida , Katana style mount with old mumei blade

No tag or Number  Paymaster Lt Commander Shimao Suzuki  ,tanto in shirasaya blade by Hosokawa Masamori .Details written on the Shirasaya . Nice piece

 

It is interesting just how many of what were apparently naval troops were carrying shingunto .

Ian Brooks

 

 

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