Ontario_Archaeology

It's a bullion thread, the quality is lower than the other two. I can take more close up shots and post them here or dm them if you don't want them digressing the thread

Tassels are around 50cm

Here are a few of my additions, note that the longer general tassel (far right) has a chance of being a repo, it is different from the other 2, but it has more similarities to the other 2 real ones than the repo i have in my collection.

The last picture wouldn't fit in the first message . . .

Hello, I have recently added this interesting piece to my collection, it looks like a presentation piece, or it could just be something put together, I am not 100% sure. It does appear to be missing a seppa, but the interesting mons all over the kai gunto pieces throughout peaked my curiosity.

Another example here: https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/h516314955

Great, ill send someone a message if I can't get it resolved with buyee. Thank you

Hello, I am wondering if anyone here offers shipping out of Japan, I had ordered an item that Buyee has deemed prohibited to ship from their warehouse, despite shipping similar items before. I am currently arguing my case, however I doubt I will get very far. My options now are to either dispose of the item or ship it to a Japanese address. If there is someone here who knows of someone that can help me out I will be very grateful and pay all associated costs ofcoarse. Thank-you Matt

To go along the lines of my post in the General Tassels thread, I have done the same for the other tassels, hopefully this will help when determine real vs fake.

Part of the issue when analyzing tassels and colour is the difference in lightings, to prevent this I now have all 3 of the general tassels side by side, (one fake. far left.).

That is the parade light weight gunto. This is a closer shot of the light weight with the gunto above... I can take better pictures in a week when I return home

I have a set up in my office, there is more to the left... But it is a work in progress...

There are a list of final letters from kamekaze here https://www.japanpowered.com/history/final-letters-of-kamikaze-pilots#:~:text=Please don't worry about,will have achieved my ambition.&text=Last Letters of Kamikaze Pilots. And a better source with more material and death poems here: http://www.kamikazeimages.net/writings/

Cool thread, I have also picked up a few belts along the way to go with my display, however, I can't necessarily remember all the information (it's written down somewhere) the top one is a medical officers belt and the bottom is an officers belt, but unsure of the rank. I cannot remember the difference in rank between the red and the blue leather belts. Info on service branch colours for medical belt.... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_of_the_Imperial_Japanese_Navy

Do you think that looks like a light weight shin gunto and the slimmed down version just appears longer in the photo? Here is my example next to a normal sized one.

I came across this auction and although I can't read the documents attached with this sword the translation of the description has some interesting information! https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/l638857617 It states: "Since you cannot take it with you before boarding the special attack aircraft, it will be handed over to the mechanic and returned to your family. There are documents of the proof of the Special Attack Units. It seems that the mechanic said that the kamikaze aircraft on which this person was aboard had passed away without the Hinomaru due to lack of supplies at the end." If this is to be believed then there would never really be a need for pilots to carry anything shorter, and further put the nail in the coffin about the "pilot/tanker" sword myth.

Recently on buyee I saw two sets of tassels go up. It would be cool if they were genuine, but I have my doubts,especially about the general tassels. Set 1 Set two

Estimate 15-25k.  7 years ago. Wow 😭😭

Here are three examples I've saved images of from auctions over the past few years.

Sorry about that, made the thread after a few too many drinks

I know a thread already exists or they have been discussed at length somewhere, I just cant find it, but I know these have been discussed somewhere. Either way, I'd like this thread to be a place where we all can post our examples and be an end all be all of information about them. Thanks

Interesting, hard to tell really. But it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to assume maybe some family members used the tassels as a status symbol while their fathers or husbands were fighting the war. Maybe those whos family members died fighting were able to wear them with their regular dress. It is an interesting route to go down.

From many other threads here I think "we" as a forum have concluded that the waks were not necessarily used for submarines, tanks and aircraft but either bought by the government late in the war to make up for lack of sword production or a family heirlooms that special mounts to fit them were for. Here is a link to a thread referring to them as pilot swords

I just wish the original pictures of the sale and the pictures of what appears to be mis represented were posted

Everything looks great! Now I'm wondering if there is a "dark" mode for mobile 👀 Matt