Late war wooden scabbard

[Janrudolph]

[Janrudolph]

I apologise if the pics are not up to standard, I'm dead beat trying to get them down to size. I might add that the tang is unsigned and there are no stamps or stars or other such marks. I could take more pics if required. I'll have to remove the "male" snap fastener on the leather cover and put in a new one. I'll also have to make a strap with a new "female" snap fastener and give the other end of the strap a dual function as seppa. That is, if you guys concur. But now the pics are there and I look forward to hearing the verdict as to the real identity of my sword!

[Bruce Pennington]

On my takayama-to

[Bruce Pennington]

My only one with eyelets

[DaveR]

On yours it's going to be a simple copper or copper alloy band around the mouth of the scabbard.

[Sporter90]

On yours it's going to be a simple copper or copper alloy band around the mouth of the scabbard.

I think the band was also painted black.

The cover had eyelets.

[Janrudolph]

Bruce and others, thank you for the advice. Seems like I can take copper plate, bend it oval, add an end piece with the simple blade profile cut out, and colour it black. It'll take me hours, but with patience I can do it tolerably well. Sporter and Dave, I've studied those holes in the leather with a 10x glass and I really can't see any sign that they ever had eyelets. I must resign myself to the knowledge that some were fitted with eyelets and some not. I hope you agree.
Nick, the anticipation of finding out the true identity of my sword (be it Type 98 or Special Contingency) is making met feel excited like a kid again. I hope to gain much knowledge from you guys and I'll be ever so grateful.

[DaveR]

.... "add an end piece with the simple blade profile cut out, and colour it black"..

It can be just a simple band. With that hilt you have shown, it's a 98!

[Janrudolph]

Thanks, Dave. So to wrap up my question about the missing koiguchi, it seems a simple, thin band, coloured black will do the trick for an original-looking replacement. The question about the identity of my sword now seems clear also: its a Shin-gunto Type 98 officer's sword. The holes in the leather combat cover seem not to have had eyelets, so I will let it be. The missing retaining strap I can make, by uniting it with the seppa. It's either that, or attached to a leather ring going around the tsuka. I'll choose the former. Concerning the blade, being totally unmarked, I can only assume it is machine-made from non-tamahagane steel. Do you guys agree? To what degree was a traditional bladesmith involved in the making of these late-war blades? And what would be the origin and composition of the steels used? Thanks for all your contributions so far, I truly appreciate! Jan.

[rbminis]

Photos of the parts on my Kai Gunto, you could make your retaining strap like this, and it should be acceptable.
Ralph.