Help with this sword?

[nils99]

Hi picked this up at a flea market years ago. Tried finding info on it but nothing similar has popped up. It's hammer forged ever so slightly bowed. The blood groove does not go full length but it is sharpened to the hilt. Any help would be greatly appreciated. From what I can tell is says something like masahiro March 1934 or something? Thanks!

Edited September 28, 2025 by nils99

[Mark]

my opinion is this a fake, or copy, of an NCO sword. sorry

[Bruce Pennington]

Hi Adam,

Sorry to say, but it is fake,  Whoever makes these has really flooded the market with them as we see this one quite often.  It's trying to be a Type 95 NCO sword, but everything is wrong about it.  Take a look at the real one on Ohmura's site: NCO Gunto - 1935; Military Swords of Imperial Japan

 

Japanese NCO swords did not have dates on them.  But these fakes usually have "1940" on the blade.  Yours is a little unique as it has "1934" on it - one year before they actually started making the Type 95s! That's just one of many things they get wrong, on these.

 

 

[Rawa]

https://www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html