Ersatz locally made swords

[sturmann]

Hallo,

Do you have information on swords that were produced locally in the various Japanese occupied territories ?

The Fuller & Gregory "Military Swords of Japan 1868-1945" refers to "ersatz swords" that would have been made by an arsenal in Java.
I found this internet photo to illustrate what the sword in question should look like







The book was published in 1987 and I was wondering if more info had surfaced since ?

Korean made bayonets are well known abd documented . Except Indonesia, were there other places where such "local" swords were made ? Burma ? Indochinese peninsula ? China ? Surely Shanghai had the industrial might to produce half decent stuff ?

If swords were indeed produced outside Indonesia, do they follow specific patterns according to the place of origin ?


Many thanks for any light you can shed on the subject ?

[SCHUPO]

There are first hand accounts of locally manufactured swords. I recall a book account by a Japanese Naval Lt. Cdr. who was on an island after his airplane was shot down and he could not return to his aircraft carrier. The local Japanese Naval personnel made him a sword from a leaf spring in a truck that he carried for the rest of the war and finally surrendered to American forces at the end of the war.

Having said all that... just try to sell a locally made Japanese sword to anyone.

[Jareth]

here's an interesting discussion of these swords with a very neat example http://forums.gunboards.com/showthre...ments-on-Sword

[OScaton]

I like this picture. It is amazing. I hope i can have one. Real one, not picture.

[sturmann]

Re-

Many thanks Gents for your answers .

The Gun-board's one is a very interesting specimen .
The german militaria collecting is full of occupation production and captured re-issued items, so I find this topic very interesting.

Keep them coming in ...