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WW2 Japanese Army NCO's Katana / Shin Gunto, sold

A very rare dedicated / inscribed WW2 Japanese NCO's shin gunto in very good condition.

WW2 Japanese Army NCO's Shin Gunto with Provenance / Dedication / Inscriptionimage E94 1

Sold Item Notice

First, we 100% money back guarantee this is an authentic 1935 model (Type 95) WW2 IMperial Japanese Army NCO's shin gunto. Second, this ia a very rare dedication / inscription example. Although many Japanese officer swords carried inscriptions, this one is very different, it is dedicated to an RAF officer on the saya / scabbard of an NCO's katana.

The inscription is "(3 Stars) H M Sherman Certain Victory We Can Do It" (the later part in Japanese). It is believed that an RAF officer by the name of Harry Maurice Sherman was given this by a "Japanese Surrendered Personnel" sergeant, someone conscripted by the British to fight insurgents in Indonesia, as a gift and mark of respect as he was about to be repatriated to Japan, and therefore had to surrender his sword. It is the only possible logical explanation for the inscription; we believe the three stars were done in humour by the Japanese NCO, as if to say "3 Star General H M Sherman".

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This is also a very nice example of the NCO's katana, with the rare green painted grip in still good condition, and the sword and saya with marching serial numbers, 70592 (with Kokura arsenal stamp to the blade), quite an early sword, so it probably saw a lot of action.

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The 26 1/4 inch cutting edge (excludes habaki) blade is in very good condition, albeit some aging and blemishes, and firm in the hilt. The saya locks onto the retaining mechanism well. The blade sheathes and draws well. The saya / scabbard with matching original olive green paint is in good shape. Everything good and tight. A great example with some great provenance and extremely rare markings.

As you are totally unlikely to ever find another NCO's shin gunto with such rare dedication inscription, our price is truly a bargain. Further / full sized images upon request. Please quote item reference number E94 (847).

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