Imperial Court Sword?

[Jayhawker353]

I had an associate quote me this sword. He is under the impression that it is a very rare and desirable court sword; c.1870s. He said that it was a "Colonels" as evidenced by the dragonfly. Can anyone give me any info on this?

Thanks for the help.

[Jayhawker353]

Additional Photos

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[GHP]

<center>ARMY "COURT" AND DIPLOMATIC CORPS SWORDS</center> These swords bear striking resemblance to some western fraternal organization swords. They were worn by high ranking army officers for full dress events. The basic army design is the same as the Japanese diplomatic sword. The Army court swords have a dragonfly on the pommel. Some styles have a sunburst on the clam shell guard, others have a paulonia mon or the Imperial kiku (chrysanthemum) mon on the clam shell guard. They were issued only to field grade and general grade officers. The diplomatic swords were for consular grade diplomates. The blades are narrow, straight, double edged with floral engraving. The hilt and scabbard fittings are gilded brass. The scabbards are black polished leather with gilded brass throat and toe mounts. There are several variations in both the Army swords and the diplomatic swords.






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--Guy