Help With Officers Gunto Id

[vetoif]

Any help would be greatly appreciated.... looking to find info before possible purchase.... measures 29 3/4 from tip to guard...

 

Thanks

Sean

[Dave R]

I think you are wise to do so..... From the little I know, this is either a very good piece, or more likely a fake! Others more knowledgeable will no doubt weigh in soon.

[Fuuten]

Doesn't look right to me, but i know nothing about gunto.

[Bruce Pennington]

The characters don't look Japanese to me, but I can't read Japanese, so who am I to say!!! The koshirae look authentic as does the tsuba, but the kanji looked added, like very recently.

 

There are people out there who will take a perfectly good gunto and "spice it up" with etchings and fittings. Sad.

 

But I could be wrong. Waiting with everyone else for a real expert to opine.

[Bazza]

IMHO - run away...  Get thee to a sword show.

 

Politeness in lieu of the words I should not speak!!

 

BaZZa.

[vetoif]

I do know the sword has been in his possession for 40+ years....

[Jon MB]

Chinese coin/wealth symbol to habaki

Archaic stylized chinese script historically used for decorative purposes

Late war/ Island style leather covering

 

Without much supporting evidence I would suggest

chinese puppet troops officer, WW2

[Peter Bleed]

Well, gee. We actually can't see much, but I am as optimistic and the others here have been suspicious - especially if you bleieve  the "40 years in the attic" story. Please show us the nakago...What we see looks "Japanese" to me...

Peter

[matthewbrice]

PM sent.

[Brian]

This is one of "those" where the fittings look good, the habaki looks good, the saya looks good...the kanji look suspicious but possible, and then just when you have your mind made up, you look at the hamon and go "noooope"
Hmm...I really can't make a call. But you have left out the nakago, the most important part?
Let's see it.

[vajo]

Puhh!

what does the nakago says?

 

The Kanji looks well made. The buttons looks Japanese. It has a hamon?

The leather looks old. If it is a chinese repro it is very good.

[paul griff]

Hello,

If it wasn't for the kanji looking too decorative and 'clean' and the applied hamon I would have said end of war but unused island made sword...The blade looks to be stainless and a very nice shape whereas nearly all of the island swords I have seen or owned have been well made but 'rough' if that makes any sense...? The leather on the saya seems to have the right amount of shrinkage and the fittings look like well made island versions with a nice patina although the inside of the saya throat looks very clean...! Only my opinion but I would say it is a post war well made island sword with decorative blade...

Regards,

Paul..

[Mark]

the 2 small kanji (Naga____) are written upside down, i have always seen the kanji written to be read with the tip pointed up

[lonely panet]

hamon looks etched, simular to a Kyu gunto dress sword. 

 

I would like to see the nakago too. it is interesting

[PNSSHOGUN]

There's enough wrong with it to make it worrying but enough right about it to make it puzzling.

[Geraint]

The habaki is worrying.  If you look at the images it seems almost too narrow for the blade and it does not taper toward the tsuba.  I'm sure this is an optical illusion because we are used to seeing Japanese habaki that widen towards the tsuba, helping to secure the blade in the saya.   

 

Without pictures of the blade out of the mounts this is too risky.  Given the leather covered tsuka and no clear way of removing it you are not likely to get the information you need.  The hamon looks applied rather than real.

If this is all you have to go on tread very carefully.

 

All the best.

[Ian B3HR2UH]

Don't tread carefully here , run away quickly .

Ian Brooks

[Shamsy]

Don't tread carefully here , run away quickly .Ian Brooks

I half agree. Depends what you're after. If you want one of the many, undocumented and infinitely varied swords that could be islander/collaboration, it's a lovely example with no less claim than all the other maybes.

 

If you are after a Japanese gunto, not for you.

[Ed]

Ask yourself this, can you actually verify the 40+ year story ??

 

To me:

It screams fake.

Blade doesn't look like it has been stored for 40+years.

Hamon looks fake.

Habaki doesn't look Japanese.

Stamped archaic Chinese kanji on the blade isn't Japanese.

Nagasa is very long for military specs (though not impossible).

Ashi looks wrong.

No Nakago photos provided.

 

My advise would be to pass, if you are looking for Gunto.  It is too easy to find a legit Gunto, why buy something this suspect.

 

Of course, as Steve said, perhaps you are looking for something which could be some type of undocumented collaboration.

 

*Remember, if the price is to good to be true, it probably is.

[vajo]

User Zanzobar offered a nice Masatsugu gendaito for a nice price on ebay. As an alternative?

[Baka Gaijin]

I agree with Mark, the Kanji is facing the wrong way.