{"product_id":"original-japanese-wwii-patrolman-sergeants-police-sword-second-type-with-steel-scabbard-1","title":"Original Japanese WWII Patrolman \u0026 Sergeant's Police Sword - Second Type with Steel Scabbard","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is something that we have only had once before! During Japanese history, edged weapons had always been a symbol of authority and power, so when power was returned to the Emperor during the Meiji restoration of 1868, many new designs of swords were needed for the various new organizations that came into being as Japan \"modernized\". The police in particular had a real need to be armed, and various swords were designed for the various ranks in the organization. As had been seen previously in history, members of higher rank would have more ornate and elaborate swords, less suitable for actual use, and more for display.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very good example of a WWII Era Japanese Patrolman \u0026amp; Sergeant's sword from the Imperial Police department. There were several different versions of these known, and this is known as the Second Type, which does not have a handguard, but does have side tabs with circle emblems on them, as well as the \u003cstrong\u003e\"Five-ray\" police insignia\u003c\/strong\u003e on the rear of the hilt near the pommel. This specific type is described and pictured in the book \u003cem\u003eSwords of Imperial Japan 1868-1945: Cyclopedia Edition\u003c\/em\u003e by Jim Dawson, pages 306-307. Pictures of these pages are shown as a reference only, \u003cstrong\u003eand are not included.\u003c\/strong\u003e As would expect for the sword of a \"rank and file\" member of the police, it is designed for actual use, with minimal ornamentation, with much more thought given to functionality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very fine example in lovely well preserved condition. The brass guard has a rich patina, showing that has not been heavily polished over the years. The police insignia on the rear of the hilt is still well retained and easily visible. The grip on the 2nd type is bound leather, and this example still retains it quite well, though it does show some wear to the surface. The grip is wrapped with a skein of 4 wires, with the center two twisted and bullion wrapped, however the center two twisted wires are missing on most of the loops. Looking at period pictures, we can see that the cross guard has been bent back somewhat on the side with the loop, and the pommel may have been bent inwards a bit as well, which is why the tang protrudes a bit from the pommel. The scabbard lock is still present and fully functional.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is in very good condition, showing some past oxidation staining, now cleaned away. We did not see any evidence of significant pitting, and the edge is still sharp in many areas. It also shows use including dents and small chips, so this is definitely a sword that saw actual use. We have made no attempts to clean or sharpening it to avoid disturbing the lovely patina.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe steel scabbard is in very nice condition, and still retains most of the original nickel plating, which does show wear and oxidation. The area around the drag has lost much of the plating, and there are also some dents in that area, which do not interfere with sheathing the blade. The hanger ring is still present in its bolster, and the wooden inserts inside the scabbard are still present, and help protect the blade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA lovely example of a very hard to find Imperial Japanese police sword, ready to add to any collection of Japanese WW2 edged weapons!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOverall length: 27 1\/4”\u003cbr\u003eBlade length: 21 3\/8”\u003cbr\u003eCross guard: 3 7\/8”\u003cbr\u003eScabbard length: 24”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44651453677637,"sku":"ONJR26JARS66","price":1095.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONJR26JARS66__01.jpg?v=1771362775","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-japanese-wwii-patrolman-sergeants-police-sword-second-type-with-steel-scabbard-1","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}