Ben A Harris Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 I am seeking information on what I believe to be a shin-gunto, Japanese officers sword, type 98 with a metal scabbard. I consider it to be in good to very good condition. The blade is very well maintained with no corrosion or blemishes. I am not yet familiar with the Japanese terms for the various parts so please bear with me. I can find only one visible identifying mark. The mark is a metallic piece applied near the end of the hilt top edge surface. It is fastened over the top of silk threading and gold metallic flowers. There is a small silverish square bearing what looks similar to the English symbol for infinity ∞. Quote
ChrisW Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 9 minutes ago, Ben A Harris said: I am seeking information on what I believe to be a shin-gunto, Japanese officers sword, type 98 with a metal scabbard. I consider it to be in good to very good condition. The blade is very well maintained with no corrosion or blemishes. I am not yet familiar with the Japanese terms for the various parts so please bear with me. I can find only one visible identifying mark. The mark is a metallic piece applied near the end of the hilt top edge surface. It is fastened over the top of silk threading and gold metallic flowers. There is a small silverish square bearing what looks similar to the English symbol for infinity ∞. You're only a state over from me, I'll DM you some information regarding getting your blade looked at in person. ~Chris 1 Quote
Scogg Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 Hi @Ben A Harris, You have what looks like a large and imposing sword in those WW2 military fittings. Are you able to take the handle off, and show us the tang? These swords were designed to be disassembled, so fear not. But still, proceed with care and caution. Skip ahead on this video to the time 6:40, for instructions on disassembling a sword in fittings. 4 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 The symbol is a family crest, call a kamon or mon. There are guys here who can give you some info on that. They originated way back in the Samurai days, and each clan had it's own symbol. Well before WWII, Japan opened it up to letting anyone have one that wanted one, and by WWII many mon were being used by multiple different families. Some of them can be narrowed down to a shorter list of names, but you won't find a specific family name that can be tied to it. I have one with the old Fujiwara clan symbol, which is cool, but the guy that used it in WWII could have had any name, literally. The fittings are Type 98 Japanese officer sword fittings. You can read up on these on Ohmura's site: Military Swords of Imperial Japan (Gunto). The blade may be something from pre-WWII, which is why the guys are asking you to remove the handle (tsuka). Very easy to do. 2 Quote
robinalexander Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 7 hours ago, Ben A Harris said: I am seeking information Hi Ben, before you do anything, have a squiz at this. http://japaneseswordindex.com/care.htm Its important if you have never handled one before. 1 1 Quote
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