WWII Sword

[sgstandard]

I have a typical WWII era Japanese Samurai sword, with the pebbled, copper-colored fittings w/ chrysathemums. Painted olive scabbard with copper-colored fittings. No markings on blade or tang, except for red paint (2 parallel lines, and some drips.

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Tsuba and spacers all have the exact same markings:
Handle throat has some writing:

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Other pics: Full tang and Hibaki

Thanks for any info anyone can provide. I've been collecting German stuff for a long time, and decided to buy this - Best Regards

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Blade tip -

[Papa Nambu]

Paint on the tang is usually an assembly number used by the factory to match the blade and fittings.

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Any idea about the markings on the tsuba or the handle throat? And is it unusual to have no other markings than what you see here?

[Stu W]

Any idea about the markings on the tsuba or the handle throat? And is it unusual to have no other markings than what you see here?

Markings appear to me to be assembly markings and no, it's not unusual to see, or rather not to see, other marking on mass produced swords. Yours appears to be a Type 98 IJA Shin-gunto but photos of the entire sword would assist in any analysis.

Regards,
Stu

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Thanks for the valuable information. I've enclosed more photos -

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More...

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Last........

PS: The mekugi has a tendency to fall out. It seems too thin for the hole. What material should I use to make a new one? Thanks !!!!!

[Stu W]

It's a standard Type 98 as I thought. A chopstick works well for a replacement. Work it with a bit of sandpaper till it has a nice fit then mark off the two points where it passes through the sides of the tsuka, remove it and cut off the excess.

Regards,
Stu

[GHP]

...A chopstick works well for a replacement. Work it with a bit of sandpaper till it has a nice fit then mark off the two points where it passes through the sides of the tsuka, remove it and cut off the excess.

Regards,
Stu

Yes! A bamboo peg is best -- when they fail due to stress, they won't break in half; the fibers (or some fibers) often remain connected.

--Guy

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Thanks a million for your helpful information. It's already a star in my collection.
I've had a few German edged weapons, and they have their charm, and I'm gonna sound like an Oregon latte-swigging liberal, but the samurai sword is much more "organic". As a combat weapon, the Japanese realized that a slashing weapon would be far more practical, and unlike most modern swords, designed the handle for 2-handed use. I like the way the chrysanthemums line up in each palm, for added grip. Bonus round - The blade is straight !!
pS: You always wonder exact what the scenario was when a blade has a lot of nicks in it. I always imagine the WWII company commander passing out samurai swords to his men after they found a stash. Then, 2 GI's played mock "swordfight", banging the blade edges together mercilessly. Or maybe a GI was experimenting to see if it was true that you could cut an engine block in half with a samurai sword like he'd heard .

[GHP]

...I always imagine the WWII company commander passing out samurai swords to his men after they found a stash. Then, 2 GI's played mock "swordfight", banging the blade edges together mercilessly. Or maybe a GI was experimenting to see if it was true that you could cut an engine block in half with a samurai sword like he'd heard .

Where is that damned "wayback machine" when I need it!!!!?

Or maybe a GI was experimenting to see if it was true that you could cut an engine block in half with a samurai sword like he'd heard .

source
Nope ... it don't cut steel!

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I read somewhere that WWII machine-made samurai swords were required to have a tang stamp. Considering that the tang is unmarked except for 2 parallel paint marks, can anyone estimate the time window this sword would likely have been made? Could the blade be older than the fittings?