Bought on an impulse. Good thing I didn't take a closer look at the saya, or I probably wouldn't have bought it, but I'm glad I did! SERIAL# 5814! Dawson says the range is from 1,xxx to 130,xxx. If these started production in 1899, then this came out in the second year or so. Dawson also says low number gunto are very rare, so guess I stumbled into a rare one. Just a shame the saya is wrong.
Look through Dawson, my guess is the saya from a Model 19, though I couldn't find examples of one with the koiguchi screw holes offset like this one. It's a couple inches short for the blade and someone had actually split the end enough for the tip of the blade to stick through enough for the handle to bottom out on the koiguchi. At first I thought it had been cut open, but a closeup of the area shows tearing of the metal. So I don't know what to think about that.
Blade is nice, with several edge-dings. Shows the same rough sharpening marks I've been seeing on almost all Model 32s.
The end retention nut had been replaced with a standard nut. The patina on the outside of the nut seems to be inline with the rest of the handle, so it may have been done in the field.
Look through Dawson, my guess is the saya from a Model 19, though I couldn't find examples of one with the koiguchi screw holes offset like this one. It's a couple inches short for the blade and someone had actually split the end enough for the tip of the blade to stick through enough for the handle to bottom out on the koiguchi. At first I thought it had been cut open, but a closeup of the area shows tearing of the metal. So I don't know what to think about that.
Blade is nice, with several edge-dings. Shows the same rough sharpening marks I've been seeing on almost all Model 32s.
The end retention nut had been replaced with a standard nut. The patina on the outside of the nut seems to be inline with the rest of the handle, so it may have been done in the field.
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