Original Item: Only One Available. The end of WWII marked the beginning of the sword ownership ban in Japan. By law, Japanese citizens were forbidden to own swords. General McArthur did not want the general population to be able to arm again. Most soldiers and citizens surrendered their swords to the American occupying forces. The Americans destroyed a large number of swords by dumping them into the ocean or by melting them. But a small percentage made its way back to the United States and into the collector market.

This lovely patinated example is a genuine late WWII Japanese Type 95 NCO Samurai Sword or katana, produced during the end of the war around 1945. At this time, to save aluminum, the design switched to a simple wooden hilt grip with incised cross-hatching, often called a "pineapple" grip. The mounts were changed to black painted iron, with the securing spring moved to the side, an a new design steel scabbard to match. To further decrease production time, the fuller from the machine made blade was removed. The blade is 26 3/8 inches long, with an overall length of 37 1/2 inches. NCO Katanas were issued to soldiers who did not want to take their family sword to battle or who came from poor families that did not have swords to pass down through the generations.

All NCO swords were numbered. This example has a matching serial number 2096096 on both the blade and the throat of the scabbard. Most swords do not have matching numbers because somewhere along the life of the sword the scabbard was changed. The serial numbers both have a 関 marking to the left, for Seki Arsenal in Japan. Sometimes we see these with markings on the FUCHI ferrule where the grip meets the crossguard, however this one is unmarked.

The sword is complete with the metal locking spring tab that secures the blade to the scabbard. This prevents the sword from falling when the soldier is running. Traditionally this function is assigned to the Habaki (blade collar). But machine made swords like this one do not have the accuracy of manufacturing that enable the Habaki to perform such a function.

Condition is very good, with a lovely aged patina overall. The blade definitely shows use in service, and has signs of past cleaning and sharpening, giving it a great broken-in look. There is overall light staining, some of which was cleaned away, and the edge is still relatively sharp, but shows some dents, dings, and other wear from use. The wood handled grip is in lovely condition, with the original finish well retained, and showing some cracking and a chunk missing near the crossguard. The handle is still tight on the blade, with just a bit of wobble to the pommel cap.

The scabbard is in very good condition, still retaining most of the original olive brown paint, showing wear and areas of light oxidation where the paint has worn off. The fit and finish are definitely below the earlier type of NCO sword, making this a true 'last ditch' example, as all "pineapple grip" examples were. We can see machining and milling marks at the seam, and the geometry is overall rougher than early war examples are.

Overall lovely late WWII Type 95 NCO "Pineapple" Katana that will appreciate in value over the coming years. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 26 3/8"
Blade Style: Katana
Overall length: 37 1/2“
Scabbard Length: 29 1/8"