Iwo Jima Sword: March 26th, 1945 / 1SG Ezzie Bacle / USMC 5th Pioneer Battalion

chgruener · January 26

Hello!

I have a collection of several traditionally and non traditionally made blades, but this one is absolutely my favorite.

I acquired this sword this weekend after a couple years of chasing it. The provenance is rock solid for it, and I won’t go into much detail here because this post is specifically about the sword itself. In summary, this sword was captured the night of March the 25th or early morning of the 26th, 1945, by 1SG Ezzie Bacle of B Company, 5th Pioneer Battalion. Famously, around 300 Japanese Soldiers and Officers launched the last organized Banzai charge of the Second World War. All Japanese participants were killed, and US casualties were high. This sword was among approximately 30 picked up by Marines in the aftermath.

The sword has a Kamon which I believe is Paulownia, but I’m not sure which specific type. Perhaps someone here knows. The sword also had a field grade tassel attached and is in excellent condition due to being stored separately from the sword for 80 years, avoiding handling.

The fittings appear high quality and the blade also appears traditionally made, but looking for clarification and opinion. No signature on the Nakago.

I am exploring the possibility of narrowing down the potential Japanese Officer who carried this due to the Kamon, field grade tassel, and knowing where and when it was captured. It’s a long shot, but perhaps it can be done.

Please give as much input as you would like on the sword!

PNSSHOGUN · January 26

Nice looking sword, it's an early Type 94 pattern of good quality (note separate Sarute and Mon on Fuchi). The Mon is a variation of Daki Myoga (embracing ginger leaves) rather than Paulownia, unfortunately you won't have much luck narrowing down officers based on the Mon. You may find the officers surname on the fittings or under the Fuchi if you're lucky. The blade appears to be a 1930's Showato, I once had a very similar sword likely from the same shop.

As the battle of Iwo Jima is relatively well documented you may be able to find detailed Japanese unit documents or staff photos from the 109th Division: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/109th_Division_(Imperial_Japanese_Army)

chgruener · January 26

10 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

Nice looking sword, it's an early Type 94 pattern of good quality (note separate Sarute and Mon on Fuchi). The Mon is a variation of Daki Myoga (embracing ginger leaves) rather than Paulownia, unfortunately you won't have much luck narrowing down officers based on the Mon. You may find the officers surname on the fittings or under the Fuchi if you're lucky. The blade appears to be a 1930's Showato, I once had a very similar sword likely from the same shop.

As the battle of Iwo Jima is relatively well documented you may be able to find detailed Japanese unit documents or staff photos from the 109th Division: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/109th_Division_(Imperial_Japanese_Army)

Thanks for chiming in! Much appreciated. Unfortunately I couldn’t locate a name on any of the fittings. Thank you clarifying the Kamon as well!

Rawa · January 26

@PNSSHOGUNwhat about tassel here? Looks brand new and (considering tsukamaki wear) was added later.

ROKUJURO · January 26

Some well focused magnified photos of the NAKAGO (oriented tip-upwards) might clear up if this belongs in the MILITARY section, not NIHONTO.

With these photos I get the impression that the KISSAKI is damaged/ out of shape.

chgruener · January 26

6 hours ago, Rawa said:

@PNSSHOGUNwhat about tassel here? Looks brand new and (considering tsukamaki wear) was added later.

I can confirm that it was not added later. I won’t get too much into the provenance here because this is about the sword only, but the sword was obtained from the veteran’s family directly and the transfer was documented with letters, photographs, and a notary being present. Photographs show that the tassel was obtained with the sword, but was stored separately for many years in bags. The veteran’s son used to play with the sword as a young boy, possibly explaining the heavier tsukamaki wear and the like new appearance of the tassel. I added the tassel back to ensure they stay together and there wouldn’t be a scenario where they get separated.

Edited January 26 by chgruener

chgruener · January 26

4 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

Some well focused magnified photos of the NAKAGO (oriented tip-upwards) might clear up if this belongs in the MILITARY section, not NIHONTO.

With these photos I get the impression that the KISSAKI is damaged/ out of shape.

ROKUJURO · January 26

Chris,

the tip of the blade is the point (= KISSAKI). The end is the NAKAGO with the NAKAGO-JIRI, so all those photos are good, but upside-down.

In these photos I can see that the damage on the KISSAKI is not severe and the basic shape is o.k. It looks like a mistreated, partly hand-made/machine made military blade, so not a NIHONTO.

Scogg · January 26

@chgruener

I will relocate this to the Military Swords of Japan section, as it better fits that category. I think you'll get some additional input there.

Best of luck,
-Sam

chgruener · January 26

25 minutes ago, Scogg said:

@chgruener

I will relocate this to the Military Swords of Japan section, as it better fits that category. I think you'll get some additional input there.

Best of luck,
-Sam

Thanks, Sam!

chgruener · January 26

34 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

Chris,

the tip of the blade is the point (= KISSAKI). The end is the NAKAGO with the NAKAGO-JIRI, so all those photos are good, but upside-down.

In these photos I can sse that the damage on the KISSAKI is not severe and the basic shape is o.k. It looks like a mistreated, partly hand-made/machine made military blade, so not a NIHONTO.

Great information, thank you! As for preservation, what is the best option? I’d like to get the damage to the Kissaki repaired and possibly a polish, but I know I need to be carefully selective who does this work. As it’s not Nihonto, I’m a little less worried, but the sword is still very special and I would like it done right. Or perhaps I leave it the way it is? What’s your take on this.

Bruce Pennington · January 26

As a Field grade officer, the owner would have been in service for the whole war. The tassel may appear new because he had recently been promoted. Also, at ranks of Major through Colonel, an officer would have been spending much of his time in offices and/or HQ.

Adding to John's comment, family mon originally were tied to specific families/clans, but long before WWII, all families were allowed to have one, and you'll find that multiple families used the same mon.

Kiipu · January 26

The tang has four file notches towards the bottom. These notches might be related to the subassembly number of the parts. In my opinion, this is not an arsenal made blade.

chgruener · January 26

5 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

As a Field grade officer, the owner would have been in service for the whole war. The tassel may appear new because he had recently been promoted. Also, at ranks of Major through Colonel, an officer would have been spending much of his time in offices and/or HQ.

Adding to John's comment, family mon originally were tied to specific families/clans, but long before WWII, all families were allowed to have one, and you'll find that multiple families used the same mon.

This could also explain the good condition of the tassel. I do believe the tassel is exactly as it was when it came off the island thanks to being stored the way it was for 80 years.

As for the Mon, after doing some reading, I read the same thing about them being reused by families. Thanks for the info, Bruce. Do you have any opinion on the blade? I don’t think my photos are very good at showing the blade. Some are telling me it could still be traditionally made, but my photos aren’t doing it justice. But I have been told here that it isn’t. Is there any way to definitively know with a photo? Perhaps I should take more in higher lighting and magnified?

chgruener · January 26

4 hours ago, Kiipu said:

The tang has four file notches towards the bottom. These notches might be related to the subassembly number of the parts. In my opinion, this is not an arsenal made blade.

I noticed those too, had no idea what they meant. I figured it was something related to assembly or manufacture. Do these not appear on other machine made blades?

Kiipu · January 26

Christopher, you can read about these file marks in the monograph below. It is free to download and is courtesy of Bruce Pennington, author extraordinaire.

Stamps of the Japanese Sword