Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. The end of WWII marked the beginning of the sword ownership ban in Japan. By law, Japanese citizens were forbidden to own swords. General McCarthur did not want the general population to be able to arm again. Most soldiers and citizens surrendered their swords to the American occupying forces.
The Americans destroyed a large number of swords by dumping them into the ocean or by melting them. But a small percentage made its way back to the United States and into the collector market.
This fine example is a genuine WWII Japanese Type 95 NCO Samurai Sword or katana with aluminum handle construction and machine made blade. Blade is 26.5 inches long, with an overall length of 36.5 inches. The grip wrapping and menuki are cast-formed. Typical WWII Imperial Japanese Army style fittings, with a single suspension ring from the scabbard, known as the "New Military Sword" ( 新軍刀 - shin guntou) style. It is said that during battle soldiers would not use the ring but rather would stick the sword through the belt the same way as the Samurai in ancient times.
All NCO swords were numbered. This example has a matching serial number 55250 on both the blade and the throat of the scabbard. Most swords do not have matching numbers because somewhere along the life of the sword the scabbard was changed. This scabbard also has an original leather field cover, which has discolored and shrunk over time.
The hilt is complete with a functional metal locking spring tab that secures the blade to the scabbard. This prevents the sword from falling when the soldier is running. Traditionally this function is assigned to the Habaki (blade collar). But machine made swords like this one do not have the accuracy of manufacturing that enable the Habaki to perform such a function.
NCO Katanas were issued to soldiers who did not want to take their family sword to battle or who came from poor families that did not have swords to pass down through the generations.
The condition of this sword is very good, with only some light surface staining on the blade. There are a few small nicks on the edge of the blade, but they are hard to photograph. The brown paint on the hilt has mostly worn away, as it did not really stick well to the aluminum. The Scabbard looks to have some paint left, however it is under the leather cover, which we have not removed, so we do not know how much still remains.
There are some Chinese replicas of these out there, however this sword is definitely genuine. It has the correct arsenal markings on the hilt collar (fuchi) and blade, and the spacers (seppa) are cast and rounded, while the replicas are crudely cut. The scabbard is painted the correct green color, and the spacing from the top to the hanging ring is the correct 3 inches. Also, the tang on this is full length, with two holes. None of the replicas have this feature. Overall the fit and finish is definitely far above a replica, which can be seen in the photos. It's also highly unlikely that a replica would have such a wonderfully aged scabbard cover.
Overall a very nice condition WW2 Type 95 NCO Katana that will appreciate in value over the coming years.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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