Trying To Find More Info On A Type 98

[Geoff Bogie]

Hello All!

 

First time poster.  I have a Type 98 Guto (no arsenal markings or stamp) officer's shin-gunto.   I have meant to find out more about this shin-gunto for a long time.  It has been in the family for almost 70 years (given to my father just after the Korean War) and apparently taken from a Japanese Lieutenant General by LTC H.L. Evensizer on the Island of New Britain in 1942.  Of course, I have been unable to verify any of that.  From my inexperienced sleuthing on the internets, the below is what I have been able to inexpertly determine :

 

Boshi (Tip):         Okissaki (I think)

Hamon:               Midare (I think)

Habaki:                Copper, plain

Tang:                    Haagari style, no stamp, inscriptions on one side only (see pictures)

 

Otherwise appears to be standard Type 98 Guto fittings ("monkey hands" tassle loop) except it appears to have a copper habaki (which is generally associated with late war machine made blades?).  There is some rusting/pitting from poor storage over the years and 2 <1cm dings/chips in the ha of the blade.  All the furniture is in pretty bad shape.

 

At this point I am mostly interested in the rough date and method of production for the blade.  I am assuming it is a either a machine made or "handmade by other than traditional methods" blade during the WWII years.  But the rusting on the tang, the lack of arsenal stamps or marks and what appears to be a signature (and to my inexperienced eyes from what I can tell, not a date) and the fact that it was supposedly a general's sword leaves the possibility it might not be?

 

I am not looking to resell, but if it happened to be a traditionally made blade, I would look into some restoration work on the blade to remove rust and have a proper polishing job done.  If it is a machine made or non-traditional, then I will happily put it back together and hang it up on my wall again.

 

Any information someone can offer is deeply appreciated.  I can provide different pictures if needed.

 

Regards,

 

--Geoff B.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Very hard to say whether it was a Generals sword or not as the Tassel and strict provenance are the only true identifying features of a General owning the sword. Do you ever recall a tassel with yellow strands with the sword?

 

 

We certainly need better pictures, including closeup pictures of the tip, temper line, any patterns in the steel and detailed shots of both sides of the tang.

[Ian B3HR2UH]

Hi Geoff , it is I think an unlikely story . New Britain was firmly in Japanese hands in 1942 and wasn't invaded till much later . When they did surrender in 1945 the General in charge,  Lt Gen Imamura  surrendered to Vernon Sturdee an Australian . Ian brooks

[Dave R]

 Copper habaki are pretty standard and traditional on Japanese blades. The lack of stamps doesn't really mean much, it's their presence that gives additional information, but the style of the signature does, to me,  indicate wartime production.

 The tang does have a decent shape unlike many wartime made swords which can be a bit sawn off in looks. There is some file work, aka yasuri mei, so I would say there are distinct possibilities of a decent blade.... even if it proves to be non traditionally made.

[BANGBANGSAN]

濃州兼貞鍛之(Noshu Kanesada made it)

[cisco-san]

Hello,

 

I guess it is this smith:

KANESADA (兼貞), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kanesada” (兼貞), real name Yoshida Sadaichi (吉田貞市), born July 5th 1904, he worked as a guntō smith and died May 29th 1974

 

 

 

[Geoff Bogie]

No history of a tassel to my knowledge.  Ian, that is a complete failure of me to check the actual history of fighting on New Britain - which is a little embarrassing.  Here are two more pictures of the tip and blade.  I don't have one of the other side of the tang, but it is blank - no markings.  Not the best shots but what I have at the moment.  I can get more after Sunday (drill weekend).  Dave, Bangbang and Cisco, so this was probably a machine made blade, or do you need closer/better pictures?  Also, thanks for all the replies!

Regards,

 

--Geoff

[vajo]

The signature doesn't look likely made. It's hard to judge from the pictures. Try to make pictures from the blade in bright light to see hamon and hada better.

[Geraint]

Dear Geoff.

 

Have a look at this thread, about four posts down for a better understanding of the whole 'machine made' idea from Dave

 

All the best..

[David Flynn]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_Gloucester