Unknown dirk.

[User007]

Hello,
Can you please help me to identify this dirk?
Thank you in advance.

[GlennAgain]

Japanese Naval Officer....
-Glenn-

[User007]

Thank you Glenn. I was under impression that all Naval daggers must have cherry blossom motif engraved on the fittings. This dagger doesn't look like any known naval daggers.

[Bruce Pennington]

Yes this is a Naval dirk, but the question is what version? I've checked my reference books and don't see this model. Hopefully Nick Komiya will take a look. He seems to know a lot about the variations in these.

[Jareth]

Looks like a variation of early first pattern

[Nick Komiya]

Cherry blossom Menuki on the grip to indicate Navy affiliation was introduced in Feb. 1914, but the absence of cherry blossoms from the throat, etc. indicate someone short of being a soldier, which can only be Gunzoku.

When those people were allowed wear of daggers in 1908, it was completely devoid of any decorative features, but as of 1914 their daggers also got the cherry blossom Menuki, confirming their navy affiliation.

At the same time, those in officer equivalent grades got to add decorations indicating rank on the scabbard fittings. While a full navy member would have had cherry blossoms with leaves, Gunzoku were still segregated at this point by using an arabesque decoration of vines
( Japanese vine decorations looked like the picture below).

Then, as of 8th July 1931, finally all ranks of Gunzoku were allowed to wear daggers identical to their navy colleagues.

In this gradual merging process of the Gunzoku and Navy dagger designs, there was no regulation issued that allowed substitution of the vine design with cherry leaves (sans flower), but it is highly likely that this kind of departure from regulation occurred in practice between 1914 and 1931, as the vine design was not exactly a highly regarded symbol in Japan. Prevalence of this kind of regulation bending must have finally forced the navy to give them fully navy daggers in 1931.

You can read more on Navy Gunzoku daggers here.

In conclusion, this must be a Senior Gunzoku (Kohtohkan level) dagger, trying to look completely navy, in minor violation of regulations.

[Nick Komiya]

As shown in these cartoons, in Japan, the vine arabesque design is typically associated with thieves carrying things off in an arabesque printed Furoshiki. So it is quite understandable that it was not a popular design feature among officer equivalent Gunzoku.

At the same time, some would have been flattered to be mistaken as a navy officer by using the cherry leaves design instead, but still showing sensible restraint by omitting the blossoms.

[User007]

Thank you, gentleman. You really helped me a lot.