Original Item: Only One Available. Purchased recently from a private auction, this is a very nice wartime High Grade Japanese Naval officer Katana in the Pattern 1937 Kai-Gunto setting. A Kai-Guntō (海軍刀, naval sword) is a weapon and symbol of rank used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the WWII Period. This is a great example, complete with a desirable sharkskin covered scabbard, and shows little sign of use.

The blade is in excellent condition, with an edge that is still quite sharp. We can not see any dents or bends on the entire length of the edge, making it one of the best we have ever seen. Blade length is 26 inches and overall length 36 1/2 inches. It has a factory forged steel blade, with a single mounting hole in the standard long Futsu 普通 (regular) shaped Nakago (tang) with a Haagari (asymmetrical rounded) nakago-jiri. Most we see of these have a cut tang, but on this higher end katana they seem to have taken a bit more care. The tang itself is marked a Naval ANCHOR stamp, indicating manufacture at Toyokawa Naval Arsenal (豊川海軍工廠, Toyokawa kaigun kōshō). There is no signature (MEI), as is usual for later war pieces.

The blade retains virtually all of the original factory finish and simulated straight (sugu) hamon. There are are just a few minor scratches and scuff marks on the surface. There is also a simulated yokote and boshi, and given the total absence of rust on the blade, we believe it to be made from Stainless steel, which was popular for the rust-inducing ocean environment. There is some light oxidation on the tang, but even stainless steel can rust if exposed to wood for a long period. Japanese Kai-Gunto naval officers swords are somewhat rare, given that they usually went down with the ships. This particular example has high grade fittings, which we see much more often on signed and/or handmade blades.

It has a heavy round tsuba (cross guard), with two Seppa (spacers) and two O-Seppa (Large spacers) around the tsuba that are large and highly stylized, correct for the Kai-Gunto pattern. All of these are non-magnetic, with the tsuba and O-seppa being made from blacked copper or brass. The tsuka (handle) has two gold highlighted Cherry-Blossom menuki (grip decorations), and a nice brass Kabuto-Gane (End Cap) with a brass loop through the end. There is a single bamboo securing peg still present, which looks to be a replacement. The grip has an excellent black textured oilcloth grip (Sa-Me) under the complete brown colored Ito (cloth binding) with fine brass decorative collar (fuchi).

Condition of the blade, scabbard and fittings is very good, indicating light use, though the wrapping does show a bit of dirt and staining. There also is some light oxidation and plating loss on the various metal fittings. As typical of the pattern, Cherry Blossom motifs appear on many of the fittings. The handle is tight to the blade, with secure spacers and no wobble in the tsuba. The Tsuba and all of the seppa are marked withy matching number 5 7, while the end of the tsuka is marked 五 七 = 5 7. The fuchi is not matching, so it may have been replaced at some point. That means that for the most part this is the original set of fittings (koshirae) for this blade, made to fit it specifically.

The Wood scabbard (saya) is wrapped in lacquered sharkskin shagreen, and has all plated brass fittings, which do show some wear and flaking of the plating. Unlike most we see, the fittings are still firmly in place on the scabbard, so the glue has not degraded over the years. The sharkskin covering is still in great shape, with almost all of the lacquer intact. There is no splitting along the seam, and this is definitely one of the best sharkskin covered scabbards that we have seen in some time. Both hanger rings are still present, making this a really great example of a high grade scabbard.

Really a great example of a high grade Imperial Japanese Navy Kai-Gunto, complete with its original sharkskin covered scabbard. These are getting hard to find in any condition.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 26"
Blade Style: Katana
Overall length: 36 1/2“
Scabbard Length: 28"

It has been over one thousand years ago that the art of making swords appeared in Japan. The swordsmiths of the time may not have known it but they were creating a legendary sword. The Samurai sword has seen combat in many battlefields. From the early days of the Samurai warrior to the fierce battles in the South Pacific during WWII.

Each hand-made Samurai sword is unique because it is forged from steel stock. A tremendous amount of work is dedicated to creating these pieces. They were an instrument of war as much as a beautiful artifact to adorn a room.

The Samurai sword has grown to be one of the most highly desired military antiques.