WWII Japanese Army Officer Shin Gunto
Item #: AA3437
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This is a Japanese Army Officers Shin Gunto from World War II. It has an overall length of 37 1/2", with a blade length of 27". The blade is stamped on the reverse tang with the cherry blossom (Showa) and the kanji reads Sekiju Kaneyoshi. The wooden hilt is covered in marine skin, then wrapped in brown lacing (ito). The marine skin and ito are both very tight to the hilt, with the marine skin having a small crack where the top mount (kabuto gane) of the hilt ends. The ito shows moderate wear from use along the entire length. The ornamental decorations (menuki) on each side of the hilt are brass with gold gilt, and appear to be of the WWII period. The top of the hilt has a brass mount (kabuto gane) with a simple floral design and stippled texture. The brown tint has worn off the majority of the mount and the brass has a very eye pleasing medium chocolate patina. The brass collar at the base of the hilt retains the majority of the brown tint, but the exposed brass carries the same patina as the top mount. The wooden pin (mekugi) that retains the hilt to the tang is present. The guard (tsuba) is brass and also appears to be of the WWII period. It has a beautiful patina to it, and is stamped with the number 41, along with all the shims on either side of the tsuba. The blade collar (habaki) is steel and has a gold gilt applied, with most of the gilt remaining. The blade has an overall bright appearance, the polish providing a mirror like appearance. The edge has a couple of very small nicks, but does not appear to have been caused by any combat action. The temper line (hamon) is very visible. The sword is not secured to the scabbard a simple press and release catch system. The single, iron mounted scabbard is made of steel and has been painted brown. There are a couple of areas where the red base coat is showing through. The scabbard is in very good condition, and shows no dents or gouges. This Japanese Officer's Shin Gunto will make a nice addition to your WWII Japanese collection.
Shipping Weight:
4 lbs
Item # AA3437
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