Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice Imperial Japanese WWII Type 32 "Otsu" Second Pattern Cavalry saber, complete with its original steel scabbard and a partial sword knot. Japanese cavalry sabers, originally introduced in the late 19th Century, all have machine made blades with serial numbers on the ricasso and will commonly have arsenal stamps on the guard.

The Type 25, introduced in 1892, had brass hilts and plain wood grips. The Type 32, introduced in 1899, on the other hand has a checkered steel hilt with checkered wood grips. They were issued with a leather finger loop on the inside of the guard. The machine made blades are "katana" shaped, and have a full length wide fuller and flat spine, and are contained in steel scabbards with a single ring. The swords saw service during the Russo-Japanese War, World War One and on into World War Two.

Two patterns of the Type 32 were produced. The first pattern, known as ‘Ko,’ was issued to cavalry NCOs and had a blade length of around 32 1/2 inches. The second pattern, known as ‘Otsu,’ was issued to army NCOs and was shorter, with a blade length of around 30 inches. This example is a ‘Otsu’ pattern Type 32 cavalry saber, and is a late production example, with a higher serial number, and was not designed to have a leather finger loop. These almost always break off or are removed later in service.

The blade is in fair condition and retains its fighting edge, with a few areas of material loss and oxidation. 3/4 of the blade edge has been sharpened, while the area closest to the guard was left blunt. The ricasso is stamped with serial number 92663. The blade was designed for cutting and thrusting and was superbly good at both. This blade definitely looks to have seen service, and was sharpened at least once for use, though we do not see much in the way of blade nicks outside of a few small examples. It is still relatively sharp, so care is needed during handling. There is staining and oxidation in areas on the blade, but overall the finish is still quite nice.

The steel D guard has a checked steel back strap and dove head pommel, all of which now show heavy oxidation staining that is still active, and should be tended to. The checked wooden grip is in very good condition, with strong checkering and still has a nice dark red brown color. The guard has the "stacked cannonball" logo used by Tokyo and Kokura arsenals, with smaller characters around it that we can't quite make out. There is unfortunately no way to know when the sword was made, as they were produced continuously for close to 40 years.

The sword is complete with its steel scabbard, with a single hanger-ring, and functional locking catch. The drag of the scabbard bears a very faint serial number under the paint, but whatever it is, it is not matching with the sword. The scabbard is in fair condition and has remnants of the paint. The sword comes with an original sword knot, however it has broken off of the strap and was reconnected poorly with wire, and is not connected. It could be glued or wrapped back together for display.

A Japanese Cavalry Saber, in service for decades, and probably brought home after WWII. In very nice condition and ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade length: 30 1/2”
Blade style: Single Edged with Fuller
Overall length: 35 ½”
Guard Dimensions: 4 1/2"W x 5"L
Scabbard length: 31"