WW2 Japanese Navy Officer's Kai-Gunto Katana
Unsigned Blade (sold) |
A high grade Imperial Japanese naval officer's kai-gunto with
earlier unsigned blade.
 

This is a well above average grade Japanese kai-gunto; the mounts
have a full set of seppa and 3 part tsuba, the blade has a very
active hamon, and the saya / scabbard is rayskin. So why am I selling
it for so little money? Because the end of the saya including the
ishizuke are missing and the blade is need of a polish. But, let
me say this with 100% sincerity, if you are prepared to spend around
550 GBP more on this sword to have the blade professionally polished
and the saya end repaired, you would have a Kai Gunto far in excess
quality wise of virtually any other. Kai Guntos generally have machine
made blades and often low grade fittings, as most quality kai guntos
of course ended up at the bottom of the ocean. This is a genuinely
rare example of a high quality sword and particularly blade.

The 22 1/2 inch blade (excludes habaki) has an active hamon with
visible nioi and I suspect nie as well. A full set of seppa, etc.
Quality all over. The unsigned blade with two nakago-ana (tang peg
holes), a sure sign this is a family / hereditary blade remounted
into military naval mounts. Further / full sized images upon request.
My item reference number is 804 (354).




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