Original Item: Only One Available. Purchased recently at a military show, this is an great wartime production Japanese Naval officer Katana in the Pattern 1937 Kai-Gunto setting. A Kai-Guntō (海軍刀, naval sword) is a weapon and symbol of rank used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the WWII Period. This is a great example, complete with a desirable sharkskin covered scabbard, and only shows signs of light use.

The blade is in excellent condition, with an edge which is still VERY sharp. There is just a bit of scuffing and one or two TINY dents on the edge. Blade length is 26 ¼ inches and overall length 36 ¾ inches. It has a factory forged steel blade, with a single mounting hole in the standard long Futsu 普通 (regular) shaped Nakago (tang) with a kiri (cut) nakago-jiri. The tang itself is marked a partial Naval ANCHOR stamp, indicating manufacture at Toyokawa Naval Arsenal (豊川海軍工廠, Toyokawa kaigun kōshō). There is no signature (MEI), as is usual for later war pieces, but there is the character 力 (power) below, something we have seen on swords and good luck flags before. There there are the painted Japanese numbers 一 〇 二 三 (1 0 2 3) on the tang.

The blade retains virtually all of the original factory finish and simulated straight (sugu) hamon. There are are just a few minor scratches and scuff marks on the surface, including an almost "square" scratch that is very interesting. There is also a simulated yokote, and given the total absence of rust on the blade, it is definitely made from Stainless steel, which was popular for the rust-inducing ocean environment. Japanese Kai-Gunto naval officers swords are somewhat rare, given that they usually went down with the ships. This particular example has mid grade fittings, which are quite nice, but not the same level seen on the higher end examples made for command officers.

It has a heavy round tsuba (cross guard), with 6 Seppa (spacers) and two O-Seppa (Large spacers) around the tsuba that are large and highly stylized, correct for the Kai-Gunto pattern. These are all magnetic, with the tsuba and O-seppa being blacked copper plated steel, and the seppa are yellow painted steel. The tsuka (handle) has two brass plated steel Cherry-Blossom menuki (grip decorations), and a nice plated steel Kabuto-Gane (End Cap). There is no loop or cord through the end cap, which looks to have torn off at some point. It has a very good condition black oilcloth grip with complete lightly worn olive brown-colored Ito (cloth binding) with fine non-magnetic decorative collar (fuchi), which is molded to look like it has a seppa on the top. There is just a bit of staining and dirt and sweat on the cloth wrapping, and the condition of the fittings indicates light use, as most of the gilding is still present. As typical of the pattern, Cherry Blossom motifs appear on many of the fittings. The handle is tight to the blade, and the mekugi (peg) looks to be original.

The Wood scabbard (saya) is wrapped in lacquered sharkskin shagreen, and has a plated brass throat fitting (koiguchi), while the scabbard rings (semegane) and end fitting (sayajiri) are all plated steel. Like most we see, the fittings are a bit loose on the scabbard, as the glue degrades over time, and also the scabbard can shrink due to the wood and sharkskin drying out. The sharkskin covering is still in very good shape, with most of the lacquer intact. There is no splitting along the seam, however the lacquer has flaked a bit on the edges, and it is not as glossy as it once was due to age. Both hanger rings are still present, making this a real nice example

The fuchi, tsuba, O-seppa, seppa, and top end of the tsuka are all marked with western number 1 0 2 3, next to a series symbol that looks like an inverted "Y". This matches the number 一 〇 二 三 (1 0 2 3) painted onto the tang, which is a bit faint but still legible. There are multiple markings inside the saya (scabbard) throat, but 1023 is definitely one of them. This indicates that this set of KOSHIRAE (fittings) were all made for this specific blade, and no parts have been swapped out. 

Really a nice lightly used example of a Imperial Japanese Navy Kai-Gunto with a lovely stainless steel blade, ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 26 ¼"
Blade Style: Katana
Blade Shape: Shinogi-Zukuri
Overall length: 36 ¾“
Scabbard Length: 28 ⅝"

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 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.