Jon MB

Paint splash, as Mark said.

All very helpful, thank you guys.

it does look like an older leather cover was used to make the saya chape or drag. Maybe suggesting that this was a second koshirare constructed once the earlier one was worn out, and the chape was recycled.

I vote well preserved (almost unused), late-ish war variant, and original. Look at the discreet wear under the leather and the buttons at the throat of the saya. We all know by now that gunto koshirae never cease to surprise with their variety.

For the record, re-adjusting grips and then re-peening a tang ( especially with any sort of aesthetically pleasing result) is skilled and difficult work, and should be avoided if at all possible when restoring sabres.

Ah, Bazza was correct

Hi Bazza, possibly, but look at another comparable example and the way it is peened, I think use of pommel nuts were rare during that period

Canadian, eh? There we go.

I would have said that it looks to be some variant of an Austrian Grenadier NCO Hanger However, an example below seems to have quite British style fittings to the scabbard http://www.napoleonicwarsforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2481

Sorry Bob, but could we hear a tiny bit more about the ghost?

Mongolia -In the early 2000's I rode a motorcycle East from Ulaanbaatar over to the old battlefield of Nomonhan - Kahlkingol, and was able to stay at a border guard post, and explored a bit with the guards for a morning. I found some helmets, and one of the guards picked this up and gave it to me. The mongolian plain ends abruptly, there are bluffs that lead down to the Khalkha river, and the area beyond that is undulating sandy scrubland, and tha's the bit we were exploring and where the main fighting took place. Not really a sword, but at least it's related. Pretty strong indicator of use of Kyu Gunto in combat, not that that's news to anyone here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Khalkhin_Gol

Thinking of selling this, thought I would record it here first. From the patina and design, I'm convinced it is old. Note how it is signed, albeit in characters without much aesthetic value. It's very sharp indeed, exact same length as standard gunto.

Probably not

My guess would be an overcleaned, incorrectly restored piece.

And with that new looking shiny aluminum with nice even patination on brass...aie!

It's a 'no', in my opinion.

Nice score Chris!

I agree with all the smart things said here, but just to add that when one holds a gunto in postures one might use for iaijutsu, batto etc. one has the impression the metal sarute might be a little annoying in actual practice, with small weight shifts and distracting noises as it moves, which on many examples it does. Also agree with the high grade option cloth sarute, my high grade 1944 gunto has one.

Richard G, Lovely Yasuaki pic..

If it's leather on wood, nothing to lose, proceed in the spirit of useful advice already given. If metal saya, maybe that would look better on it's own anyway, especially if the leather is far gone.. I have brought back a number of leather goods back to apparent health, worth trying. If we take the example of leather bayonet scabbards (or boots), it is also possible to cover pitting in the leather with carefully (skilfully) applied layers of colored polish. May or may not be appropriate here. A photo could be useful.

Post some

Interesting link on Kyu-Gunto below: https://imgur.com/gallery/lUKqe

Cool, many thanks Having kids is great, but expensive... Regarding these sabres, I think interest will grow over time, as they become relatively more scarce. We shall see..

Peter, Stephen, thank you for your comments. Sometimes I want to mention on this site that newbies could benefit from getting used to handling not only old swords, but also antiques in general, to get a feel for how objects undergo subtle changes as they age and how patina develops, experience that can assist in evaluating swords or fittings in less than mint condition. Peter, very interesting observations on the Japanese sword world and the distribution of Japanese swords in the rest of the world.. So we like the rapier?...It was $100... Btw, Diagonally across the swords, in pic 1, is a handy multipurpose narwhal ivory.

Hamish, I dig this (oldish) thread..Anything more recent acquisitions to add?