Original Item: One of a Kind. Recently purchased at a recent military auction, this is an excellent condition USGI Bring-Back wartime production high-grade Japanese officer Katana in the Type 98 Shin-Gunto (九八式軍刀 kyūhachi-shiki guntō) setting. The Type 98 fittings (koshirae) are slightly simplified compared to the earlier Type 94. The blade tang is signed by the maker, and appears to have been hand forged at arsenal. A Shin-Guntō (新軍刀, new military sword) is a weapon and symbol of rank used by the Imperial Japanese Army between the years of 1935 and 1945.

The blade on this example was hand forged at arsenal, and the tang of the blade is signed (Mei) with the characters 天 地 正 恒 作, read as AMACHI MASATSUNE SAKU, which translates to "Made by Masatsune Amachi". Research indicates that this smith's real name was 天地 鈴市郎 (Amachi Reiichirō or Suzuichirō), so in this case "Amachi" was their family name, and "Masatsune" their "swordsmith name." We have seen many other smiths sign their swords in this fashion. Born September 23m 1894, Masatsune worked as guntō smith and died May 12th 1949. Their name appears in the Seki Tanrensho Booklet printed in 1939, having registered early in Seki on Showa 14 (1939) July 1. The markings on the blade have been highlighted in white using corn starch to be easier to see.

Yoshinori was active during the Showa Period and worked at Seki arsenal in Gifu, Mino Province (美濃国), and is stamped 昭 inside a cherry blossom on the tang, indicating civil inspection and acceptance early in the war. They look to have made both arsenal forged and traditional blades. We have confirmed the signature (Oshigata) with other examples of his work. Yoshinori also was a winner of the Shinsaku Nihonto Denrankai held in 1941 but missed in Hikosaburo's Tosho Banzuke. They were awarded 4th place - 佳作 (Honorable Mention).

The reverse of the blade on this katana has a marking that we have not seen before: 安来鋼, read as YASAKUNI HAGANE or "Yasuki steel". During the war true folded TAMAGAHANE steel used for traditional NIHONTO edged weapons was always in short supply, so there were several high quality substitutes formulated that would still be able to develop the beautiful temper lines on traditional blade. Yasuki Tekko Goshigaisha came up with this formulation for a tamahagane substitute, and as seen on this blade, it definitely is able to show a fantastic temper line, even though being non-traditionally made and probably oil-tempered.

Offered in excellent condition, the blade on this example is in great shape, showing some light scuffing but no other damage, and the polish is still in fantastic condition, with the blade aspects easily visible. The edge shows some wear near the tip but is still VERY sharp, and should be handled with care. Blade length is approximately 25 ¾ inches and overall length 36 ⅜ inches. The katana has an arsenal forged blade with a Futsu 普通 (regular) Nakago (tang) with a Haagari (asymmetrical rounded) nakago-jiri (tang tip).

The blade still has a vibrant temper line (刃文- HAMON), which is visible along the entire edge of the blade. The shape is a very attractive YAHAZU MIDARE (矢筈乱れ - irregular arrow notch) shape, which shimmers in the light. There are also aspects of HAKO (箱 - Box Shaped) present, and it looks like a saw blade. Really a great looking blade! There is visible NIE crystallization at the edge of the temper line easily visible, as well as the correct NIOI cloudiness in the hamon. The blade has a proper geometric KISSAKI (切先 - point of blade) with a clear YOKOTE (横手 - line between ji and kissaki). The BOSHI ( 帽子 - tip temper line) is of the Ō-MARU (大丸- large round turnback) shape, and is fully visible with a clear transition. The blade was most likely oil quenched, which is standard for arsenal forged blades. With the long delay for traditional togishi polishing, blades like this that are ready to display and appreciate are definitely in demand.

The blade mountings are the classic WWII era "high grade" Type 98 Army Shin-Gunto style, brass with gilt accents, which like many we see are now faded due to wear. It has the typical rounded "quince" (mokko gata) shaped tsuba (cross guard), which is a high grade "perforated" style. The handle features brass Imperial Army cherry blossom menuki (grip decoration), and a nice Kabuto-Gane (Pommel Cap) with a brass end loop. The cross guard and pommel cap have matching cherry blossom motifs, which are also found on the scabbard fittings, and the fuchi (grip collar).

There are four metal seppa (spacers) around the tsuba to keep the fit tight, and under these much of the gilding is retained on the tsuba. All are inlet for the scabbard lock, which is functional but does not lock due to wear on the scabbard fitting. The blade collar (habaki) looks to be gilt plated copper, and is typical of showa era settings. The handle doesn't quite slide on all the way anymore, so the cross guard wobbles a bit. The handle (tsuka) has an great Sa-Me (Stingray Skin) grip, which is fully intact. It has a complete golden brown Ito (cloth binding), which shows only light staining and wear. There is a single wooden securing peg (mekugi) still present, which is definitely a display replacement.

The Scabbard (saya) is steel over wood, and in very good condition, showing wear from service to the exterior, which has partly worn away the early smooth brown paint from the steel. There are some small dents, and the upper hanger bolster shows some damage, but overall it looks like a scabbard that survived the war and did it's job of protecting the blade. The scabbard has the correct single hanger loop of the Type 98 style. The top fitting is inlet for the scabbard lock on the hilt, which as noted previously does not lock anymore.

A lovely Japanese Type 98 Shin-gunto by a known maker made from Yasakuni steel, complete with scabbard. This is a real USGI bring-back from WWII, ready to display and cherish!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 25 ¾”
Blade Style: Shinogi-Zukuri (鎬造)
Overall length: 36 ⅜“
Scabbard Length: 28 ¼”

It has been over one thousand years ago that the art of making swords appeared in Japan. The swordsmiths of the time may not have known it but they were creating a legendary sword. The Samurai sword has seen combat in many battlefields. From the early days of the Samurai warrior to the fierce battles in the South Pacific during WWII.

Each hand-made Samurai sword is unique because it is forged from folded steel stock. A tremendous amount of work is dedicated to creating these pieces. They were an instrument of war as much as a beautiful artifact to adorn a room.

The Samurai sword has grown to be one of the most highly desired military antiques.