Japanese Army dress sword

[26Intrepid]

Hello all,

I thought I would share a recent purchase of a WW2 Japanese Army dress sword. I’m not a huge collector of dress swords...however, this one was a must buy! I thought this sword was a little unusual with the ”Rayskin” handle, most appear to have black celluloid handle. The sword came from an old military collector and is in great (Mint) condition (IMO).

My initial thoughts were that the scabbard is a reproduction. It appears too nice to be original. Most are dented and rusted... this one has no imperfections and retains all the chrome finish. You be the judge...

D

[LoyalHistorian]

Looks nice! I recently bought a similar sword, but mine is the black handle for non-officers. From the research that I've done on it, yours would be a Type 19 Kyu-Gunto Company Grade Army Parade Sword. Since it has the Rayskin, it would be an officer's sword. The scabbard has only one ring, so it would have been made anywhere from 1932 to 1945. The "mon" on the backstrap would have been added by the soldier, and is usually a family crest. Keep in mind that I am not an expert on these, so someone else might be able to correct me if I'm wrong. Just thought I'd share what I had found out.

-Robyn

[26Intrepid]

Thanks Robyn for the reply...

Yes, I agree with all you’ve said... and it really is in beautiful condition. Probably one of the finest I’ve seen.

Thanks again for your comment and info,

D

[Bruce Pennington]

That's a beauty, thanks for sharing!

[DaveR]

It's always a bit of a surprise when something survives in good condition. It just means that it has been looked after, we are all to used to the neglected and the abused.

[26Intrepid]

I have a question in regard to these dress swords.

I’m assuming these swords weren’t carried in the battle zones since they’re “Dress” swords. So how were these “Appropriated” and brought back as war trophies?

Say for instance,,, Iwo Jima... did the Japanese infantry bring these dress swords/dress uniforms with them? Or, were they left at a base or home? I would think that only the basics would’ve been with them during wartime engagements on these small islands.

[26Intrepid]

DaveR,

I totally agree... I assume that’s why I looked over this piece for quite a few weeks trying to find something wrong with it. Whoever had it took remarkably great care of it! It’s always nice to find a piece like this and even better to own it.

Thanks for the comment,

D

[Bruce Pennington]

I don't know if officers took their dress swords to the front lines, maybe someone with more knowledge of that can speak to it, but I do know that at the end of the war, there was a MASSIVE collection of all swords, military and private, in Japan. I'm speaking from memory now, but the US troops collected approx 500,000 swords. More were collected around the Pacific by the other allies. Dress swords would have been included in that confiscation.

[26Intrepid]

Hi Bruce,

I totally agree with Japan having massive amounts of weapons piled up (Including swords). That would be the most logical explanation. However, I would think that most GI’s never place a foot on the main island of Japan.

Anyways, I was just curious as to where these swords were actually collected. The main Island of Japan makes most sense.

Thanks for the comment as always Bruce,

D

[LoyalHistorian]

From what I understand, these swords were not meant for battle at all, just as ornamental pieces. They were not tempered, so they would be brittle. The temper line is faked by etching. But I read one one site that you can find a rare, actual tempered Type 19 sometimes, if someone had the blade specially made. All European-styled swords, like these, fell out of favor in Japan (either 1934 or '35, but don't quote me on that) due to strong feelings of nationalism. That's when they started to have a resurgence of the "samurai" shin gunto swords. Even though they switched to the shin gunto swords, these swords were still being made through 1945, but I think it was mainly to help keep up with the sword demand of the large influx of troops.

As far as war trophies...Some of these swords could have been in other prior-conquered areas, like Manchuria (Japanese puppet-state Manchukuo), before the war. Or maybe even from Japanese troops stationed in the Beijing area of China, when lots of foreign powers had troops stationed there after the Boxer Rebellion and through the '30s. What do y'all think?