Type 30 Bayonet Used as Cutting Target

**ghp95134** · 07-30-2019, 12:51 AM

Togo sensei 東郷先生 was a friend of my then-teacher, Obata Toshishiro. I visited him in 1985 at the city sports center where he taught his version of self-defense. Togo sensei's affectation was to wear a single wrist wrap .... this was way before Michael Jackson began to sport a single glove. He might also have been involved as a part actor for NHK's Taiga Drama (I believe he, along with Obata, was an employee of Hayashi Kunishiro, the NHK martial arts coordinator and president of Wakakoma Productions).

Anyway, I believe this image is from QUARK magazine. Around 1985 they did an article on the scientific composition of Japanese swords, and Togo sensei did some test cutting for the article. The bayonet was fixed into an edge-up position by nails on each end of the blade; the sword was in aratogi -- rough polish -- and was forged by the smith who made my sword, Kobayashi Yasuhiro 小林康宏 [*not* a Yasukuni smith].

Enjoy!

**arisakadogs** · 07-30-2019, 01:08 AM

Did it nick the blade of the sword?

**MAP** · 07-30-2019, 03:11 AM

Now this is the guy that needs to do the strength testing in "Forged on Fire"!

Pretty neat Guy! Great photo

**AZPhil** · 07-30-2019, 04:28 AM

Excellent photo.
I've seen other pic's/video's showing the sharpness and strength of the Japanese sword, But this is a first of it cutting a type 30 bayonet.
Very Cool.
Thanks for sharing this pic and your education in the art.

Semper Fi
Phil

**RussM** · 07-30-2019, 05:27 AM

Wow!! That is some test!

Regards

Russ

**ghp95134** · 07-30-2019, 06:54 AM

by arisakadogs

Did it nick the blade of the sword?

Nope

! Yasuhiro's swords were well-made; also, the blade had more of a clam-shell geometry which cut well through bamboo as well as makiwara.

--Guy

**DaveR** · 07-30-2019, 10:52 AM

Wow,..... just wow!

**Kohima** · 07-30-2019, 11:26 AM

Waste of a nice early bayonet...

**DaveR** · 07-30-2019, 02:29 PM

by Kohima

Waste of a nice early bayonet...

To a certain extent,.... but a WW2 bayonet is not legally collectable, (as far as I know) in Japan, and so would have been cut in half by the police anyway.

**monkeyboy** · 07-30-2019, 05:49 PM

It's a training bayonet, so soft unhardened steel blade. The goofy fuller starting a couple inches from the crossguard is a dead giveaway, even with an old grainy pic.

Still pretty interesting to see.