IJASWORDS

Bill I will see you and raise you a grand . (poker talk).

Hi Denis, mine is 100% original unrestored, and probably the most perfect that you could find. RE white tsuka, others on the forum may have photos of theirs , and it is my belief that they were part of equipment designed for snow warfare . But the whole sword was white .

Denis

John , some examples of shorter swords with shorter handles , both army and navy .

It happened in the IJN as well . A wakizashi length Kai Gunto. See photo against standard length sword. Must be from a submarine crew. Only joking , but I have seem them marketed this way .

Geeezzz, how did we not see this in F&G page 270. From an original sword advertisement. Note long knotted sarute on Kai Gunto. Probably sold loose to tie in a tassel .

Hi Tom, went back about 19 pages and found it . I remember back then it was a "stunner "! It would be great to see it re-posted here . On a side issue , I compared your blade to my Kotani Yasunori, and very similar in construction . However the cutting of the mei , and the hand that did it look different . Especially comparing the cutting of the date . Just an observation , and only my amateurish attempt at comparison .

Bruce , as always you can put your finger on the right information ! May explain why mine also has a push button release like the Army variety rather than a Navy lanyard to secure the blade.

Trawling the net, just found another single hanger Kai in a 2015 NMB post .

I have seen a number of Kai Gunto, (in person and in photos ) with only one ashi, and no signs of any second hanger ever being present . Is this common ? Was it an option ? Photo of one I own , in all other respects original and high quality .

A showato Kanenao oil quenched, in rubbish WW2 mounts. Sold it, and took a sizable hair cut on the price . BUT, it convinced me to buy some books and research before my next purchase.

David will you have a table there, and possibly some stuff to tempt us?

#6

Good observation John, mine also have blades by good sword smiths, pierced tsuba and higher quality fittings .

This topic has to some extent been explored before , but wondering if any new light has been thrown on the aluminium saya. Particularly, when was it introduced (my oldest is mid 1942), was it offered by a limited number of sword makers (considering their rarity ), or was it always available as a light weight (more expensive ) option? Aluminium to my mind was a strategic material (aircraft engineering ) , electrical energy intensive to manufacture it , and difficult to weld without specialist equipment . So the only thing it had going for it was lightness and possibly rust resistance (but so did painted wood that was widely used as a saya material). The down side was that it dented easily , and paint adhesion was poor . Any information would be appreciated .

Matt, like you I remember reading about the Government buying of private swords for officer use . I think 21 inches was the minimum length .

Thanks for the offer Bruce , but I will leave it alone for the foreseeable future . Keeping it as is , I can still enjoy it the way it has traveled over the years , and leave the decision up to the next owner should I decide to move it on . But it seems the consensus out there is to let the next owner know if a sword has been restored . Wish more sellers out there would take notice of this advice .

I have found a '98 gunto, that has a really good quality blade, not too bad saya, but the wrapping on the tsuka is terrible, the spring clip is missing and some seppa missing . What is the view out there of using original gunto parts to bring back an "original " looking sword using parts from other swords. I don't want to re-wrap the tsuka as that looks too new and fake . Secondly, if ever I sell the sword, should I inform the buyer that it has been restored, even if it doesn't look it ?

Just watching history channel and spotted a Japanese pilot getting in to his Zero. Interesting , full size Gunto, not the short crew sword often sold on eBay .

Seven !!!

The difference being that John's doesn't have a hinged bottom .

Bruce , we have gone from 3 maybe 4 on Ohmura's site , to 6 confirmed . Plus every day new fittings and koshirae surface . Maybe the books need updating or a new pictorial Gunto catalogue needs to be written .

Firstly, a damn nice Kai Gunto. Bruce , my (limited ) experience with Kai ashi is basically what I have , and most variations are in the heart shaped "boars eye" and how they are attached to the saya.

Bruce , here is a 6th variety of second ashi. Hinged one side ,

Bruce , no worries , this is a forum for ideas, discoveries , and. arriving at the truth . Your observation about the identical nature of fittings is spot on . Finding exact matches would like be winning the lottery . If any second hanger was added post war, it would need to be of the same vintage and manufacturer . Not easy to do . It was always my understanding that the removable second ashi was just that , REMOVABLE, so as John says , only used on rare occasions . So there is a strong chance that they did not see wear inducing service . Other wise , why was it removable? A complicated piece of engineering to taken off and only used when required . And probably stored safely and in good condition until required . Any way they are all '94 pattern, the fittings match perfectly well, I am happy to have them.