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The Holy Grail of the Japanese militaria world, for me anyway. A Yasukuni Shrine sword, and a Baby Nambu pistol rig, with holster, two magazines serial numbered to the gun, cleaning rod, and cartridges. The Baby Nambu was a very expensive pistol for Japanese officers to buy, just as Yasukuni swords were, and are just as rare. Matching rigs are VERY rare. Took me a long time to attain these.

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A combat veteran in interesting mounts. I believe this sword was originally mounted in early Type 94 mounts. It is signed tachi mei, and the same on the tsuka is set up for tachi mounts. The 1936 date also points to Type 94 mounts as well. I believe the combat saya was added later, when the owner went to war. Looking at the wear on the ring on the saya, someone carried this sword a long way. The mon set on the menuki is a nice touch. I can't find any real info on the smith, the only reference I found was an oshigata in Fuller and Gregory's Guide to Showa swordsmiths. I bought this sword on ebay in its very early days, when it was still America's attic instead of the sleazy version of Amazon it has become. The sword came with the hanger, one of the small seppa was missing so I replaced it. I also had it polished.

The swords look reasonable, I'm sure they will go higher. There is some scarce and desirable headgear, priced within reason. Steve

A beautiful sword in outstanding condition. Thanks for posting it. Steve

Just a heads up, Morphy's has some nice swords and fittings in their May 10 auction. Begin at #3390. I have no idea of the accuracy of the descriptions, but they seem quite detailed.

I have a copy I bought back in the day. A lot of information and beautiful photographs packed into that little book. Steve

Wow. Seeing the diversity of opinions, I don’t feel so bad about being stumped. Now I have further avenues to research. Thanks to all. Steve

Usually I am able to crack these but this one has me stumped. It’s a gunto, has the small Nagoya stamp. The blade appears to have grain, but I think the hamon is faked in. I believe the signature to be either Kanechika, Kanemichi, maybe Kanenao. Any ideas?

One of these in kaigunto mounts just sold on ebay.

Nope, never fired either of them. I live on an island which has become so overdeveloped there is nowhere left to shoot. A far cry from the days when I could step out my back door and commence firing. I don’t worry about it, I had plenty of automatic fire back in the day with M16s and M60s. Never got too into sniper rifles, although I have owned a scoped G43, a K98k with the Zf41, and a K98k high turret that was missing the scope. Sniper rifles are expensive, there is a lot to know about them, and they are a minefield of fakery. I decided I already have enough rabbit holes to go down. Steve

I do have some Japanese arms as well, these are a couple of my Type 94s I happen to have photos of.

I mainly collect firearms, with a focus on the First World War.

Is there any among us who hasn't learned something from his site? A giant in the field.

Very nice Type 38, looked like a good buy to me. The two piece stock is correct. If the bolt number matched the rifle, it was a real bargain. Steve

Didn’t someone buy one of the missing National Treasure swords on ebay a few years ago? I also saw a Gassan in gunto mounts with a General’s tassel that really was picked up on Iwo Jima and could very well have been Kuribayashi’s sword. Obviously there is a lot of junk on ebay and you must exercise extreme caution, but I don’t discount it completely. Steve

Brian, I would also be willing to assist. I have some familiarity with firearms and reloading. I am in Massachusetts. Steve

Brian, Good for you! I have been collecting arms and militaria for over 50 years. I have owned everything from 14th century Japanese swords to WW1 machine guns. I like it all, from flintlocks to M16s, much to the detriment of my bank account. In my time I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of collecting and dealers. For some reason, the Japanese sword world seems to have a higher proportion of unscrupulous dealers than any other, with the possible exception of Third Reich dealers. I think the prospect of finding a rare sword with the potential of a large profit has pushed some people over the edge, or maybe that is what attracts them to the market. I am not saying all sword dealers are like this. I enjoy this forum because of the scholarly and friendly sharing of knowledge, freely given, especially by the dealers here on the forum. The forum is also a reflection of your personal values and standards, and I for one appreciate them. Thank You. Steve

Researcher Nick Komiya (who recently passed) unearthed the original Japanese Navy specifications for the Kai Gunto. They called very specifically for the hira maki wrap with the knot on the edge of the tsuka. Steve

Georg, Congratulations on your find, and your perseverance in seeing this saga through. And a saga it truly is. It showed the best and worst of human nature, between unscrupulous people advising you the sword was gimei but still trying to buy it (and acting as if they would be doing you a favor by taking it off your hands), and the good souls who gave sound advice and helped guide you to this happy conclusion. You navigated some rough seas but held your course. Bravo! I agree with you regarding Juyo papers. Yes it would be nice, but rather than wait another year it's time to bring the sword home so you can enjoy it. I have followed this since the day you first posted on the Wehrmacht Awards Forums. You may be interested to know there is a similar thread going on there right now, with the same unscrupulous characters behaving exactly the same way. "It's gimei but I would like to buy it". Unbelievable! Steve

I have seen several swords that have had the stamps neatly removed, some of them so well done it took very close examination to see it. Steve

Well said Stephen. I have a definite opinion on this subject, but this is not the place for this discussion. A member has made the effort and taken the time to post a very nice sword for us to appreciate, study, and learn from. I assume that's why we're here. At least I am. So thank you Gary, for sharing this with us. I appreciate it. Steve

Not that unusual, but pleasing to the eye. Steve