Kai-Gunto bring back Dress Sword and Dirk group

[Tonkotsu]

Here is the Kai-Gunto from the group of items brought home by PFC Leroy Stanley Gibson USMCR. I bought the group years ago from a dealer who bought it from the family. Gibson purchased the group from a Japanese family while he was on occupation duty right after the war. I have a ID'ed photo of the naval officer that was in the photo albums that went with the Gibson group. If I need to take any additional photos please let me know.

Thanks,

Dick

[vajo]

Hello Dick.

Its a standard Seki Showa-to Kai Gunto. What would you like to know special? Conditon of the sword is nice. I prefer more the saya with rayskin same or shark skin. Can't say anything about the blade, the pictures are to blurred.

[Dave R]

I love this "group" though I see no sign of the Dirk here. Decent condition Kai Gunto,  stamped and marked as non traditional and Navy. All too often people chase the special and ignore the production pieces. Thank you for putting this one up.

[BANGBANGSAN]

特殊鋼以井戶秀俊作

Special Steel Made by Ido Hidetoshi 

[Tonkotsu]

Here is the group that belonged to a Imperial Japanese Naval officer.

[Bruce Pennington]

Dick,

Thanks for the extra pictures of the kaigunto.  The anchor stamp on the seppa is of the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal and the Seki stamp on the nakago, like Dave said, indicates the blade was not made using traditionally.  By the signature stating "special steel made by..." already indicates the smith seems to have engineered his own steel, rather than use the traditional tamahagane steel.  That alone, even if the smith hammered and folded the steel, like the smiths of old, would have caused the non-traditional rating.  So quite a nice kaigunto you have there!

[Jareth]

Congrats! Nice grouping but hard to prove it was all owned by same officer & not post war put together. The rarest item in the “ group” is the scabbard retainer cord on Kai gunto handle! These are very difficult to find

[Michaelr]

  Nice grouping. The start of a collection to be proud of. Congrats     
                
             MikeR

[Tonkotsu]

Thank you to everyone for your comments and information.

Jareth,

The group I bought included two photograph albums. One of the albums contained pictures of Japan where Gibson was stationed until December 1945. In the album with the Japan occupation photos is a photograph of a Japanese Naval officer identified in Japanese wearing a dirk. Next to the photo Gibson wrote that the officer was the owner of the swords, dirk, medals, belt buckle and hat badge that he sent home.

Dick