Original Item: Only One Available. Now this is an incredible uniform grouping with a captured Katana, capture papers and more. We have not been able to locate much information on Corporal Appleton but what we were able to discover was his unit and date he was wounded. Corporal George Holmes Appleton served with 3rd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. Along with the vast majority of the 4th Marine Division, he found himself getting prepared to assault the beaches of Iwo Jima. He survived the landing and the hellish battle that engulfed the beaches on February 19, 1945, only to be wounded the following day on the 20th. We are not sure of the nature of his wounds, so this is a perfect research project candidate.

The included Katana is a great wartime production Imperial Japanese Army Officer Type 98 Shin-Gunto Katana, made by Ranked Smith HIDETOSHI. This is exactly the type of sword IJA officers would have been armed with on Iwo Jima and other occupied islands. The named capture paper is dated 1 April 1945, less than a week after the battle ended! Attached to the loop on the pommel is an old paper label, now covered with tape to preserve it, that reads:

Cpl. George H. Appleton
Co. I 3/23rd Marine Regt.
4th Marine Division

The uniform itself is a set of Marine Corps “Service Bravos”, a khaki on khaki uniform with an overseas cap, often referred to as a “piss cutter”. The uniform is in good condition but does show use, wear and minor staining but is presented without any extensive damage.

Included with the grouping is a framed collage of photos and newspaper clippings. In one of the photos you can see Mt. Suribachi very faintly (obscured by smoke) in the background. The photo is labeled and shows his position on the beachhead. This image was most likely taken on the first day of the battle due to him being wounded the following day.

Such an incredible grouping deserves a loving home and would fit perfectly into any WWII US Marine Corps collections.

Comes more than ready for further research and display!

More on the Type 98 Shin-Gunto by HIDETOSHI:
The katana at the heart of this wonderful set is completely correct, and exactly the type one would expect to have seen an IJA Officer carrying on the island of Iwo Jima during the battle. It is a wartime production High Grade Japanese officer Katana in the Type 98 Shin-Gunto (九八式軍刀 kyūhachi-shiki guntō) setting. These type of fittings (koshirae) are slightly simplified compared to the earlier Type 94. The blade tang is signed by the maker, and was handmade in the traditional fashion. 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. This particular example comes with a steel scabbard with a lovely matured leather field cover.

The blade on this example was hand forged, and the tang of the blade is signed (Mei) with the characters 濃 秀 俊 鍛 之, which is read as NO HIDETOSHI KITAU KORE. This roughly translates to "Hidetoshi Forged This in Mino Province”. This smith is also listed as 井戸 秀俊 (Ido Hidetoshi). Research indicates that smith's real name was 井戸 俊三 - Ido Shunzō, so in this case Shunzō is their given name, while Hidetoshi is their "swordsmith" name. Their name appears in the Seki Tanrensho Booklet printed in 1939. Hidetoshi was active during the Showa Period and worked at Seki arsenal in Gifu, Mino Province (美濃国), and they look to have mainly forged traditionally made blades. We have confirmed the signature (Oshigata) with other examples of his work.

Hidetoshi was a very well regarded smith during the Showa era, and their teacher was AMEHIDE, who was himself a student of KANENAGA. Both of these were very well regarded smiths. In 1942, Kurihara Hikosaburo ranked about 400 Showa Era smiths, and graded them into 7 different levels with 1 being the highest. Hidetoshi is rated at level 6, 中下作 (CHUGE SAKU or Above Average Work) = 良工の上位 (Ryoko no Joi - Superior work), and also at level 7, 下作 (GE SAKU or Lower Work) = 良工の列 (Ryoko no Retsu or Good work). We would assume that they submitted two blades for the competition. Blades by this smith are very well made compared to most made at Seki Arsenal, most of whom were not even rated.

The blade is handmade and was expertly crafted by a sword maker, which is indicated by a few tell-tale characteristics that include:

- Hole in the tang is punched and not drilled.
- Visible temper line ("hamon") with crystallization visible (Nie and Nioi)
- Blade is signed on the tang by the maker ("Mei").
- Blade has a faint Boshi (tip temper line)
- Blade has visible grain "hada" in the body of the blade by the edge (ji)

Offered in very good condition, the blade is still relatively sharp, and definitely looks to have seen significant use in service. There are a few edge bends, and the very tip of the blade is dented in. The blade surface also shows some past oxidation and subsequent cleaning, which is to be expected when in use in a tropical environment like Iwo Jima. This has unfortunately degraded the polish of the blade somewhat, however the aspects of the blade can still be easily seen in the light.

The handmade blade has a length of approximately 24 1/4 inches and overall length of 35 1/4 inches. It has a futsu 普通 (regular) Nakago with a Haagari (asymmetrical rounded) nakago-jiri (tang tip).The temper line is still mostly clear in the light, and is of the MIDARE (乱れ - irregular) shape, and shows a lot of internal activity. There are still NIE crystals visible at the transition, and some of the NIOI cloudiness, as well as some SUNAGASHI and other activities in the hamon. Due to wear, the YOKOTE is completely removed, and the BOSHI (tip temper line) cannot be seen. The blade body (JI) shows MASAME HADA (柾目肌 - straight grain).

The blade mountings are the classic later WWII era Type 98 Army Shin-Gunto style, originally browned brass with gilt accents, which is actually still retained. The handle is in very good condition, showing moderate wear, and has the Appleton name tag on the end loop, as mentioned previously. The handle is a bit loose on the tang, so we believe that several seppa may be missing. The scabbard is the standard steel lined with wood, and has a lovely matured brown field cover, which does show some seam and leather degradation. There is a scabbard lock, but it is no longer functional.

Measurements (Katana):-
Blade Length: 24 1/4"
Blade Shape: Shinogi-Zukuri
Overall length: 35 1/4“
Scabbard Length: 26 1/2"

Measurements (Shirt):
Collar to shoulder: 9"
Shoulder to sleeve: 23.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 16.5”
Chest width: 22"
Waist width: 20.5"
Hip width: 19"
Front length: 31.5"

Pants:
Waist: 15.5"
Inseam: 32.5"

The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the purpose of capturing the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field.

The Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and 18 km (11 mi) of tunnels. The American ground forces were supported by extensive naval artillery and had complete air supremacy provided by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators throughout the battle. The five-week battle saw some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War.

The Japanese combat deaths numbered three times the number of American deaths, but uniquely among Pacific War Marine battles, the American total casualties (dead and wounded) exceeded those of the Japanese. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner, some of whom were captured only because they had been knocked unconscious or otherwise disabled. Most of the remainder were killed in action, but it has been estimated that as many as 3,000 continued to resist within the various cave systems for many days afterwards until they eventually succumbed to their injuries or surrendered weeks later. Despite the fighting and severe casualties on both sides, the American victory was assured from the start. Overwhelming American superiority in numbers and arms, air supremacy, the impossibility of Japanese retreat or reinforcement, and sparse food and supplies for the Japanese, permitted no plausible circumstance in which the Japanese could have won the battle.

The action was controversial, with retired Chief of Naval Operations William V. Pratt stating that the island was useless to the Army as a staging base, and useless to the Navy as a fleet base. The Japanese continued to have early-warning radar from Rota island, which was never invaded. Experiences with previous Pacific island battles suggested that the island would be well-defended and thus casualties would be significant. Joe Rosenthal's Associated Press photograph of the raising of the U.S. flag at the top of the 169 m (554 ft) Mount Suribachi by five U.S. Marines and one Navy corpsman became a famous image of the battle and the American war effort in the Pacific.