Article about: Hi guys, The title of my post could appear as a strange combination. I will explain. One of the fields of my collection is the heritage of my great-grandfather, Commander Rommel, of the Dutc
The title of my post could appear as a strange combination. I will explain.
One of the fields of my collection is the heritage of my great-grandfather, Commander Rommel, of the Dutch Navy. In peacetime he was in the merchant navy, in wartime in the navy.
He was active in the Pacific during the entire second worldwar.
His family bond (not really close but nonetheless) with General Erwin Rommel, and his quite adventurous whereabouts and trics earned him the nickname ‘Seafox’, given to him by his fellow officers of the USMC and USN with whom he worked very closely during the war.
I have a lot of his photo’s, memorabilia, medals, his officer’s sword and also this Japanese sword he brought back.
I have researched it in the past and know the sword isn’t exactly the sword of the emperor or a famous swordmaker’s proud highlight of his career but knowing the history of it, it is a treasure to me.
Just want to share it and ask whether other collectors could tell me more about the specifics of the sword and how to get it in a better state, it has suffered from neglect and little care the past 75 years.
I have much more pictures and documents from his journeys, also with and from USN and USMC officials and the aftermath of the battle of Guam. If there appears to be any interest for that, I will post more. Not sure whether this is the right section.
Sorry for the long post, hope to add some history.
Your Type 95 NCO sword is made by Suya Shoten Co.(left stamp) Inspected (small center stamp) by a Tokyo Arsenal inspector, for the Kokura Army Arsenal (right stacked cannon balls).
It would be nice to see the serial number on the blade.
I use uchiko powder and the Japanese oil on mine. I haven't found anything that will remove the stains in the steel. Please don't sand or buff with modern equipment. It will be very obvious. Best to keep the blade as-is, as most guys like blades with evidence of use. It's a "life of the blade" kind of thing.
I will post a pic of the serial number later this day.
You will see the blade is really stained, unfortunately. At least no one tried to sharpen or, heaven forbid, sandpaper it as someone suggested some years ago.
NCO swords have a factory steel blade so you are not as constrained as you would be with a nihonto. Treat is as you would an antique Western military sword. Uchiko is a good thing to try though, it is an abrasive, but a very fine one.
Your Type 95 NCO sword is made by Suya Shoten Co.(left stamp) Inspected (small center stamp) by a Tokyo Arsenal inspector, for the Kokura Army Arsenal (right stacked cannon balls).
It would be nice to see the serial number on the blade.
I use uchiko powder and the Japanese oil on mine. I haven't found anything that will remove the stains in the steel. Please don't sand or buff with modern equipment. It will be very obvious. Best to keep the blade as-is, as most guys like blades with evidence of use. It's a "life of the blade" kind of thing.
As promised Bruce, hereby the serial number, 30037, and pics.
Other guys have recommended pure alcohol (over 90%). I found it in the camping section of stores. It didn't remove any stains but it did put a little more shine to the blade.
Ah, you posted the latest pics just as I was typing! Nice. The Suya gunto were well made. Tokyo arsenal had slightly tighter quality control standards than the Nagoya operation, so you've got a well made gunto there. Maybe Stegel will come along and see this. He can nail the approximate date down by the serial number, but it should be around 1940ish.
Japanese sword, Rommel and USMC
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by Bruce Pennington
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