WW2 1943 Japanese Officer\'s Type 98 Shin Gunto Arsenal Katana Sword With Dated & Smith Signed Tang ‘Bishu (province) Ju (living in) Masa Hide (art name) Saku (made this)’, Scabbard & Expert Assessment. Sn 20902 Sword

WW2 1943 Japanese Officer's Type 98 Shin Gunto Arsenal Katana Sword With Dated & Smith Signed Tang ‘Bishu (province) Ju (living in) Masa Hide (art name) Saku (made this)’, Scabbard & Expert Assessment. Sn 20902 - 20902

An original WW2 dated Japanese Officer's Sword with signed tang. The sword has been assessed by UK Japanese sword expert Bill Tagg. A copy of his hand written notes and illustrations accompany the sword. In extracts from his notes he states “A Type 98 shin gunto army officer’s sword dated 1943, with no arsenal stamps. Looks like an oil tempered showa to which has undergone the Yaki Ire process producing a nioi edge to hamon after heating and quenching in oil. Looks medium quality. It is signed by its maker ‘Bishu (province) Ju (living in) Masa Hide (art name) Saku (made this)’. There are 3 men working in the war time period 1939-45 using this name but none with Bishu place of residence. Needs more research to identify which man. Bright condition showing through surface scratches & staining. Needs a polish. Saya scabbard is expensive for its time, aluminium (light weight but reacts with paint finish & throws it off over time. Paint patchy in places). Tsuba gunto pattern with mosy of gilt gone marked with unknown inspector’s mark (illustrated in image 2). Tsuka good gunto pattern all complete with working safety catch & cord for sarute loop. Brown ito wrap dirty. Bronze finish still on metal fittings, some gilt left on menuki. Worthy of restoration and research. Nice example of its type”. In his illustrations Bill translates the tang signature and 1943 date. He describes the cutting edge as 64.5 cm and total length 86 cm. He also describes and illustrates other blade measurements and characteristics (illustrated in image 2). The price includes UK delivery. Sn 20902

£1,275.00