Japanese Railway / Naval Dirk..?
Article about: Hello all. Have had this Japanese dirk for 40yrs. Got it from my Great Uncle who served in the British Army in Burma during WW2. Only really researching now after digging a few things out th
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Japanese Railway / Naval Dirk..?
Hello all.
Have had this Japanese dirk for 40yrs.
Got it from my Great Uncle who served in the British Army in Burma during WW2.
Only really researching now after digging a few things out the loft as we're moving.
Will try and add pictures but new to this forum.
Questions after the limited research I've done.
1) the scabbard doesn't really match the dirk but fits perfectly, could it be mismatched.?
2) why has it only got one loop on the scabbard rather than 2 which most seem to have.?
3) numbers 3 & 7 stamped on the brass edge of the scabbard by the lock clip, what does that mean and why isn't it a Japanese symbol.?
4) age? Value? Rarity.? Any other info really?
Hope I can attach pictures after all this, if not, bare with me.
Thanks muchly.
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now with pics...
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The 5-7-5 kiri emblem on the tsuka side is for upper level court and diplomatic corps personnel. They held Imperor appointments.
I found a picture of a dirk with a single hanger in Fuller & Gregories 1996 ed. pg. 175, 176. It's on a dirk of a Manchukuo (Manchurian) official, but has different emblem on the tsuka.
Last edited by Bruce Pennington; 09-12-2017 at 03:12 PM.
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Looking at your other questons, I'd say the saya (scabbard) is origninal, and just differs from military style because it's for the diplomatic corps. Average dirks run in the USA for $350-400. Your's is probably more "rare" than the average Navy dirk that shows up on the market, but how that would affect the value I couldn't say.
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Thank you Bruce - when you say the saya is original, you mean originally matched to this dirk right? Even though it looks to be thin brown leather rather than matching the grey ray/shark skin of the dirks handle. Any idea about the 37 stamped on it? Thanks, kzs.
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Looks to be in nice condition. My advice would be to NOT try and remove the handle as you could easily crack the fragile skin over the grip area or even worse break off the kiri emblem itself. After being mated for 70+ years some screw thread assemblies are best left alone - certainly on a something as numerous as a dagger type of weapon whose value is dependent more on condition then the blade marking or makers origin.
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Kzs
Thank you Bruce - when you say the saya is original, you mean originally matched to this dirk right? Even though it looks to be thin brown leather rather than matching the grey ray/shark skin of the dirks handle. Any idea about the 37 stamped on it? Thanks, kzs.
That's normal. The stamped numbers have something to do with the factory assembly process.
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Is there any evidence there was another hanger originally on other side?
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nick komiya
Indeed, you seem to have a 1909 style Rail Road Official's Dagger stuck in the wrong scabbard.
I know I've seen the bamboo saya pattern before, but can't recall where!
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