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Japanese Type 95 NCO "Shin Gunto"


Boonie Stomper

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I have long desired to own a Japanese sword, which I wrongly called a "samurai".  Samurai correctly refers to the warrior wielding the sword.  WW2 military swords are my main interest and I tried to learn the terminology.  WW2 military swords have a few categories: "Gendaito" are military swords with traditionally made "folded" steel blades.  Machine made/ mass produced blades are "Shin Gunto", which true collectors hold in disdain & are therefore affordable to those with limited income (me).  Finally I acquired a Type 95 shin gunto NCO sword, an "entry level" sword, but a really nice, matching (s/n on blade matches scabbard s/n") Type 95.  According to the confusing Japanese dating system, T95 = 1935 model, but were finally made starting in 1937.

Being curious, I removed the grip (tsuka) so I could inspect the blade tang (nakago).  The swordsmith's name & date are stamped on the nakago of better blades.  The nakago was un-marked, but I got a pleasant surprise.  The tsuka had a wooden liner with stamps & hand lettered script (kanji). I really want to know what they mean & still have been unable to find out.  Do any of you fellow collectors possess this knowledge?  I would be eternally grateful.

 

#1 image- Top is a Type 19 (Meiji reign) 1886 army parade saber.  Bottom is the Type 95 NCO shin gunto.

#2 image- The T95's tsuka disassembled with tsuba & seppa (guard & spacers).  This is the obverse side.

#3 image- T95 tsuka & liner with stamps.  The reverse side.

 

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Super Items & Images...sorry I do not collect these but I am sure that many will commend you on you knowledge of them...Best Wishes....Desert Rat

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  • 2 months later...

Very Nice! So many I have seen are missing the Scabbard catch on the Hilt. I have owned a naval dagger that a cousin brought back from Tarawa, but it was missing the scabbard and sadly is long gone. Love the Japanese blades as many were family hand downs. 

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I love them too.  I can only afford to click on various websites, then dream & wish.  Maybe I'll find one in a garage sale......?

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This is as close as I can and probably ever will get. The Bayonet is an early one,'36 or '37. The sword on the left has a 1970's era repro scabbard, but I think the blade may very well be original, shows temper markings, the other one i got out of China, but I think they display well.

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Very nice & a great display.

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This is a rather old picture.  I still have the stuff, but want to add more.  I'll have to set up another.  Stay tuned.....

Bru Saipan 011 Nambu T 14.jpg

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beautiful! Love the Nambu, almost got one back in the early '80's. Had a real nice Type 99 rifle that I "wish" I still had!

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I fired it a few times long ago,  A guy made ammo for it out of .38 special shells.  It no longer is an "active shooter".

One of the magazines has matching numbers & still has the cleaning rod.

Edited by Boonie Stomper
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Superb Boonie...What about the sten...does it fire or de-act?

I fired one in France about 8 Years ago....100% original, found in a farmhouse in the rafters where the Maquis HQ was, they would have received this without doubt by a Parachutage in a container,  they must have had to flee quick , maybe a German raid or a denunciation by neighbours....They would never have left this behind, it was the favourite for all the Maquis apart from the Colt 45 (the US and UK - RAF dropped over 250, 000 stens all over France for the Resistance and I had fired one!!!....Great Item to fire with 9mm shells, 32 per mag...The owner was with me who is a Firearms Collector.

 

Best to you...Desert Rat

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Edited by Desert Rat
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  • 1 year later...

Hello Boonie Stomper,

Although this thread is somewhat dated perhaps this information from Dr. Richard Stein's site will be of assistance to you or others with an interest in Japanese swords.

https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/

Regards,

Stu

GUNTO, GENDAITO, SHOWATO
HINTS ON TELLING THE DIFFERENCE

 


The terms gunto, gendaito and showato are commonly used in reference to Japanese swords of the WW II era; but they used in different ways to convey concepts which are not strictly contained in their definitions.

 

LITERAL DEFINITIONS

Gunto - "military sword" (this refers to all swords in military mounts, not to whether the blade is handmade or not.)

Gendaito - "modern sword" (this refers to the sword having been made between 1876 and 1945, not to whether the blade is handmade or not.)

Showato - "Showa era sword" (this term refers to any sword made during the Showa era, 1926 to 1989, not to whether it is handmade or not.)

These are the literal rendering of the terms, but to collectors and students of Japanese swords, these terms carry specific connotations sometimes differing from the literal definitions of the terms. In the arena of Japanese sword commerce, these terms are routinely used interchangeably by those not familiar with their specific usage in sword circles. This leads to great confusion and at times unintentional misrepresentation of the sword in question. Any perspective buyer of a Japanese must know how the seller is using these terms or risk being very disappointed with their purchase.

 

NIHONTO COLLECTOR USAGE

To Japanese sword collectors the term "gunto" is used to refer to mass produced, mostly machine made or assembly line production, blades of the WW II era. It is a term of derision. "Gunto" are thought of as low class, poorly made swords having no artist value and of interest only as war relics. Even in Japan, this term is used to describe swords of no value. According to current Japanese regulations, "gunto" are not allowed to be imported into the country either for sale or restoration.

The term "gendai or gendaito" on the other hand is used by collectors to refer to traditionally made blades; those which have folded steel and are water tempered. The Japanese require that for a sword to be "gendaito" it must be made of tamehagane or oroshigane even though it is impossible to tell what a sword is made from after the sword is finished and polished. Swords made of forge folded commercial mill steel look the same as those made of tamehagane after they are polished although some collectors feel that swords made of tamehagane are more likely to have active hamon and more prominent hada than those made of folded mill steel.

"Showato" is used by collectors to also refer to non-traditionally made swords of the Showa Era. It also implies a lower grade of blade not usually of interest to Nihonto collectors.

To be a wise purchaser, one must know how to tell the difference between these types of swords regardless of how the seller is using the terms. This is not always an easy task. Two things to look for in distinguishing a true gendaito from a Showato or gunto (using the terms as a collector would) are the presence of visible hada and an active hamon. It must may emphasized that this is NOT an exact science - even advanced collectors will disagree on whether a sword showing these characteristics is truly gendai or not.

 

HINTS ON TELLING THE DIFFERENCE

arsenal stamps

There are a few "clues" that can be used to help distinguish gendaito from Showato and gunto blades (that is, between traditionally and non-traditionally made blades).

Tang stamps are reasonably good indicators of whether a blade is gendai or not. Most of the common arsenal stamped blades, including Showa stamps, Seki stamps and others, are indicative of a non-traditionally made sword blade.

There are however a few tang markings which may represent traditionally made swords although this issue is hotly debated.

These are the star stamp star stamp and the Minatogawa Kikusui mon Kikusui mon.

Blades bearing these markings are considered by some to be gendaito. Some say that all tang stamps are indicative of non-traditional methods or materials used in the blade production. There are no hard and fast rules. Each blade must be judged on its own merits. The star stamp was used to indicate blades made by smiths of the Rikugun Jumei Tosho (Army approved swordsmiths). Similarly, the Minatogawa mon indicates the blade was made at the Minatogawa Shrine. The Minatogawa Shrine forged traditionally made blades, i.e. gendaito, for the Navy. Minatogawa swords are relatively rare as only a few hundred were made and are avidly sought by collectors as are the Yasukuni Shrine blades.

Any blade made at the Yasukuni Shrine forge by a Shrine smith is gendaito. These blades are considered to be among the best quality, traditionally made blades of the WW II era. A list of the swordsmiths working at the Yasukuni Shrine is available in Chris Bowen's Tokyo Kindai Tosho Index. The Yasukuni Shrine forge made blades for the Japanese Army.

Swords of the WW II period which have received origami (authentification papers) from the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kai (NBTHK) or Nihon Token Hozon Kai (NTHK) are also considered gendaito. A partial list of these smiths is also on my website. However, collectors understand that simply because one blade has received origami, does NOT mean that all blades by that smith are gendaito. Smiths not uncommonly made both gendaito and showato during the war. Each blade must be judged on its own merits and not just on the signature of the swordsmith.

Swords of the WW II period represent both a low point (Showato and gunto) and a continuation of the tradition of making finely crafted swords (gendaito). This is an area of active research in which new information is forthcoming with great frequency. There is still disagreement between collectors on this issue. Collectors must decide for themselves what they want to study and acquire for their collections. There are no hard and fast rules in the study of WW II period Japanese swords, but hopefully as more information is learned, the job of distinguishing between traditionally made and non-traditionally made blades will become easier.

 

 

 

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Hello Stu,

Many Thanks for the link and the write up on these rare Jap swords, you don't see many on here so it makes an interesting change to read about them.

Best to you for 2019

Desert Rat

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Hello Boonie,

Thanks for what you have mentioned on MCN and the great items you have........Yep its time to see more from your superb collection.....same applies to Tony, we want to see them!

Very Best to You Both for 2019

Desert Rat/ Ian

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