Bruce Pennington

Simon, Here's a pic of an NCO Type 95 with full-length leather covers (from the 1987 Fuller and Gregory, Military Swords of Japan 1868-1945 (not a great pic, and it wasn't that clear in the book either, but the paragraph right by it describes it):

gtodan, first we could use a name so we can actually chat with you! First, Joe is right, you need to push out the little bamboo peg that goes through the handle. That will let you slide the handle off the tang. Many war swords had swordsmith signatures on the tang, and if it's a famous smith, the value of the blade goes up! In fact, some collectors aren't interested in the fittings at all, if the blade is made by a quality smith. So, let's start at the beginning and see what's inside, shall we! When you get it off, take pics with the blade tip pointed up and the tang hanging down. That's the way the writing goes on the tand if there is any. If not, there may be an arsenal stamp or two that is worth knowing about.

Souter, any chance that tiny character might represent a cherry blossom (5 leaves)?

Simon, I use a special tool, pic below, but before I found this, I simply used 2 small screwdrivers, both held tightly in one hand while turning the other side with a normal screw driver, to get the lower screw out. The one at the top simply needs a normal screwdriver on each side. The tassel loop has to be bent open to get it off. I wrap a cloth around some plyers to prevent scratching the loop. They are hard metal, so it takes some grunting, and you have to bend it out quite a ways to get both sides enough clearance to come out clean without scratching the paint on the tuska.

John, I have a stainless kaigunto with the toyokawa stamp too. What I haven't seen is a gunto with the Tenshozan arsenal stamp - anyone? Ok, you got me with the button!!! What is that?

Carlos, lucky find! Yours is only the 2nd I've personnally seen (I'm sure the old heads here have seen them before) with the leather saya cover (or what's left of it!). I've seen them in books, but I think it was sort of rare.

Very nice gunto, Wouter, congrats!

John, I benefited (and still do!) greatly from the 65+ pages of Ohmura's website on WWII gunto: http://ohmura-study.net/900.html It's FREE and has many great pics! There are several books, but I've started with: "Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks", Richard Fuller and Ron Gregory, 1996 ed. (made the mistake of buying the 1987 version - "Military Swords of Japan," the 1996 ed is greatly improved) and "Swords of Imperial Japan 1868-1945 Cyclopedia Edition", Jim Dawson

John, The tassel looks legit. The all-brown tassel was late-war army officer, generic for all ranks. This does seem to have seen a good amount of use, and if so, it may have been brown and blue, or brown and red; but over time the colors fade. You might try untying that knot to see if there is some unfaded color inside. The pic makes it look like there is just a hint of blue showing in the knot. Either way, it looks right.

Any reason not to consider that it could just be in perfect condition because it sat in a shop during the war, or in someone's desk?

Jim, A couple of tidbits from the pics - the rank tassel is company grade, meaning the owner was either a Lt or Capt. The leather at the end of the tsuka (handle) shows that it was probably shink-wrapped in leather, both the tsuka and saya (scabbard). This would have made the civil sword compliant with military regs and it acted to protect a sword that he obviously valued. The leather was probably torn or cut off after the war.

These are great, John, where are you getting them?

Wow, Brandon! I had read that the non-traditionally made blades could have a "grain" giving them the look of traditional blades, but that's the first one I've actually seen. Beautiful!

Sorry, but didn't realize that I hadn't kept this post updated. Got some clarity on another site: the kanji is the center character of the Seki stamp. Still no idea WHY the Seki stamp was put on the upper edge of this NCO gunto: "--Guy Kinda like the middle 关 of the 関 but didn't stamp clear enough" http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=848373

We are all aware that there were war swords made for PETA and other nations during Japanese occupation, and these swords look like the ones in legitimate period photos, so I'm honestly curious to know how you are differentiating between the real and the replica? Honestly from the skill and labor that went into both these examples, they are worth a fair price as accurate representations of These kinds of weapons even if they came after war's end.

Here is a good site for dating: http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/kanji/nengo.htm Yours is "Meiji 10 2 year 8 month." Meiji era was 1868 and you add the years following (-1; they count the era as "1") so 1868 + 12 - 1 = 1879. Eighth year is August. August 1879. Someone else will have to help with the other question.

That's gorgeous Bill. I can't wait to get mine polished.

Clearly not Japanese. Even if it was something from an occupied country, it was poorly made. But the tsuka wrap is too new to be original war-era.

While the real pros are working on the smith - The mix of army fittings on the clearly navy gunto make this, what is commonly called, a Marine Landing Sword. The IJN did not have "marines" as a seperate unit, but the navy troops that worked on land were often known to take up this style of saya with army fittings. They were originally gold-gilded like the navy fittings, but the gilding seems to wear off somehow. Nice blade! And yes, the painted numbers are 45 just like the stamped numbers on the seppa. Everyone agrees they were there to keep fitted parts together during manufacture and assembly.

John, we love doing this, and like to help, but dude! we need better pics - full handle, tang with writing, tip of blade, full view of blade and scabbard. All those things tell about the sword. Even with the 2 pics posted, though, it seems an odd mix of Type 3 gunto (sword) in a Type 98 saya (scabbard). And "Noshu" would be the province the smith worked in.

Thomas, the civil/police/naval prison patrol swords are an area I've never studied, so forgive the long post, but I'm interested in learning! As I understand it, the police were part of the civil rank structure, correct? This sword does seem to fit the pattern of police swords in Dawson's book, yet it has an unusual floral pattern on the backstrap, and doesn't seem to have any of the police badges. I've also never seen this style backstrap without the "ears" and the blossom set apart on the handle. Dawson has a forestry dirk (pg 181) with a seperated blossom. Dawson, pg 367, also has a Manchukuoan sword with a similar backstrap, and in the description, Dawson says this pattern "shares its basic design with the swords authorized for Japanese patrolmen and sergeants and with the swords authorized for Japnese naval prison guards and shore patrol sailors." So this sword does seem to lean toward a policeman sword, but I'm curious about the lack of actual police badge.

Actually a better movie for gunto sightings was the Japanese-made "Emporer in August" about the effort to stop the emporer's announcement of surrender. Had a couple of scenes in a command center where the soldiers stacked their gunto in racks. Several had the white-wrapped tsukas.

Incredible accuracy! But they still puzzle me - why go to all that effort to manufacture something that well and still not pay attention to simple detail like the color of the paint?

Navy Arsenal stamp at the top of the nakago, not enough view to see which one. Unusual single hanger. Maybe the other one was removed. Could have had a leather combat cover, but now gone. Price is actually a little low for a Kai-gunto.

Flemming, I, like several others are puzzled by the unusually small nakago (tang). Would you do us a favor when the gunto arrives, of taking the kisaki off and getting some good pics posted of that area where the tang meets the blade? The sword clearly has a hamon. I'm not expert on that aspect of Japanese swords, so hopefully, we can get the real pros to evaluate when you get it home and take more pics. Don't be concerned about the skeptical comments. Some folks are offset when they see something unusual. I've seen enough to know that, while there IS a standard these go by, there are always exceptions. Their concern is that the fakes are so prevelant, it is a constanct battle identifying them and weeding them out. Yours does not look like a fake.