Item:
ONJR22AS060

Original WWII Japanese Type 98 Shin-Gunto Wakizashi Sword with Ancient Handmade Family Blade & Aluminum Scabbard

Item Description

Original Item: One of a Kind. Recently purchased at a large military auction, this is a great USGI Bring-Back Japanese officer Wakizashi Short Sword in 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 in very good shape, 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.

With a blade under 24 inches in length (23 1/4"), this example is technically a wakizashi 脇差, "side inserted sword". It is however very close to Katana length, and has the same Shinogi-Zukuri blade shape seen on a Katana, so it would be considered an O-Wakizashi (大脇差 or "large side inserted sword").

It was a common practice for swords to be passed down for generations, particularly ones that were of high quality. These would be re-polished and re-fit numerous times, as steel was precious and swords were expensive. This continued up into WWII, which is how this blade found it's way into standard WWII "Shin-Gunto" fittings, with a locking scabbard. There also was an official Japanese program during the war for families with no sons to donate their swords towards the war effort.

The Kabuto-Gane in the handle of this example bears a Japanese family crest, so in this case this is almost certainly an ancestral blade. The Mon (crest) shown is the Maruni Mokko (丸に木瓜) mon, meaning "Flower in Circle". The "Mokko" design is one of the most common designs used in crests, and comes in many variations based on the number of petals and shape. There is debate over what exactly it stands for, with possibilities being the flower of a Japanese Quince, a cucumber, and even a melon. Unfortunately as it is so common, this is unlikely to help with any future research.

The blade is ancient and handmade and expertly crafted by a master sword maker due to a few tell tale characteristics that include:

- Multiple holes in tang, which shows great age

- The holes in the tang (mekugi) are punched and not drilled, and some show wear from being slightly enlarged.

- Faintly visible temper line (hamon) at the edge of the blade with crystals visible.

- The Blade has lamination artifacts or "blade wounds" (kizu) such as ware (lamination lines), only possible on traditionally made blades.

There is no signature on this blade, so it is considered 無名 (mumei), or "anonymous". Sometimes these blades were never signed, or the signature may have worn away due to oxidation over the years. This blade is definitely ancient, probably from the 16th or 17th century.

Offered in good service worn condition, this wakizashi definitely saw long service, especially the ancient blade itself. It shows scuffing and oxidation, as well as some damage to the edge. It looks like edge itself was polished down a bit, probably to remove nicks, and is now mostly blunt. It looks to have been cleaned a lot to remove oxidation on the surface.

Blade length is approximately 23 1/4 inches and overall length 33 1/4 inches. This classifies the sword as a long wakizashi (Japanese: 脇差, "side inserted [sword]"), which is a shorter version of the Katana, with a blade length between 12 and 24 in. Katanas must be longer than 2 shaku (Japanese: 尺), which is approximately 12 inches in length. We have seen a few wakizashi before in Shin-Gunto fittings, most likely family blades. As with the others it is almost katana length, so it would have worked fine for this purpose.

The katana has a handmade blade with a Futsu 普通 (regular) Nakago (tang) with an Iriyamagata (asymmetrical pointed) nakago-jiri (tang tip). It has a proper kissaki (tip), however the yokote and boshi are completely gone due to the the polish being so degraded. The temper line (hamon) is still faintly visible in areas, and looks to be a MIDARE (irregular) shape.

The blade mountings are the classic later WWII era Type 98 Army Shin-Gunto style, brass with gilt accents. It has the typical rounded "quince" (mokko gata) shaped tsuba (cross guard) with brass Imperial Army cherry blossom menuki (grip decoration), and a nice Kabuto-Gane (Pommel Cap). 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 4 metal Seppa (spacers) around the cross guard to keep the fit tight. and all are inlet for the scabbard lock, as is the tsuba. The lock is present and functional, though it does not hold securely due to wear. The blade collar (habaki) is copper, very commonly seen on blades from the early edo period and prior.

The handle (tsuka) has an nice stingray skin (Sa-Me) grip, which is fully intact. It has a complete brown Ito (cloth binding), which shows moderate use and staining. The original metal loop is still present on the end of the tsuka, attached through the kabuto-gane. There is a single wooden securing peg (mekugi) still present, which looks to be a replacement.

The Scabbard (saya) on this example is lightweight aluminum over wood and is in very good condition, with almost all of the original lightly textured brown paint intact. Aluminum scabbards are usually only seen on more expensive sets of fittings, so this was most likely owned by a person with a wealthy family. There are some areas where the paint has been scratched off by service wear, but there are not any major areas of oxidation. There are a multiple dents in the shell, very common due to the softer aluminum construction. It has the correct single hanger loop of the Type 98 style, and the top fitting is inlet for the scabbard lock on the hilt, which is worn, so it does not hold securely.

A very nice Japanese Type 98 Shin-gunto Wakizahi with an Ancient handmade family blade! This is a real USGI bring-back from WWII, ready to display and cherish!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 23 1/4
Blade Style: Wakizashi - Shinogi-Zukuri
Overall length: 33 1/4"
Scabbard Length: 28 1/2"

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.

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