Item Description
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 excellent condition example is a genuine WWII Japanese Type 95 NCO Samurai Sword or katana, with aluminum handle construction and machine made fullered blade. Blade is 26 3/8 inches long, with an overall length of 36 3/8 inches. The grip wrapping and menuki are cast-formed out of aluminum, and then painted to give the illusion of fabric wrappings and gilt menuki.
The design copies the typical WWII Imperial Japanese Army style fittings, known as the "New Military Sword" ( 新軍刀 - shin guntou) style, with a single hanger ring and bolster on the scabbard. It is said that during battle soldiers would not use the ring but rather would stick the sword through the belt the same way as the Samurai in ancient times.
All NCO swords were numbered. This example has a matching serial number 37815 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. Next to the serial on the blade is the 東 (To) marking for Tokyo Arsenal.
The Fuchi (grip collar) of the sword is marked with information related to the swords production and inspection. While holding the sword hilt up, the first symbol on the left is a K inside a Cherry Blossom, a maker mark that unfortunately is still unidentified, but definitely seen on many examples. To the right of the logo is 東 for inspection by Tokyo arsenal, and all the way to the right is the "stacked cannonball" logo of Kokura arsenal, where the sword was put into arsenal for issue.
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. The metal loop on the pommel is unfortunately absent.
This NCO sword came to us with a rare Japanese WWII Leather NCO sword knot, which is in somewhat delicate condition. This would usually be secured around the handle using the loop on the pommel, but could also be attached to the scabbard or wrapped around the handle. We very rarely see these, as they often deteriorate over the years.
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.
The condition of this sword overall is very good, with the blade showing some patination and edge dents consistent with actual use in the field. This does not look to be a sword that spent its life in a depot, and was not aggressively polished by a collector like so many we see are. There is light overall surface staining and some scuffing of the surface, giving it a great look. The brown paint on the pommel is very well retained, and correctly does not run off the faux "wrappings", so we see no reason to think it has been repainted. There are also still much of the orange gold highlighting on the "menuki" on the grip and on the cherry blossom on the pommel.
The tsuba (crossguard) is the mid-late war simplified iron MARU GATA (round) shape, with no holes to reduce weight. The blade collar (habaki) is the standard brass, as is the fuchi, which is the early war style with markings and a separate brass SEPPA spacer below the cross guard.
The scabbard still has the original olive brown paint present, which is retained at about 60%. There is paint loss and chipping consistent with service wear, and the steel has oxidized where the paint is worn. There are no major dents or bends to speak of.
There are some Chinese replicas of these out there, however this sword is definitely genuine. It has the correct arsenal markings on the hilt collar (fuchi) and blade, indicating manufacture by Iijima and inspection by Kokura Arsenal. The spacers (seppa) are cast and rounded, while the replicas are crudely cut. The scabbard is painted the correct green color, and the spacing from the top to the hanging ring is the correct length. Overall the fit and finish is definitely far above a replica, which can be seen in the photos.
Overall a lovely condition WW2 Type 95 NCO Katana that will appreciate in value over the coming years, complete with a rare leather sword knot. Ready to display!
Specifications:
Blade Length: 26 3/8"
Blade Style: Katana
Overall length: 36 3/8“
Scabbard Length: 29"
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle