japanese sword / nihonto

This is a WWII era sword made in the later part of the war. The mounts are sometimes referred to as Shin-gunto. Both the mounts and the sword are in fair condition and a rare treat for the WWII era Japanese sword collector.

Shin-gunto, army officers swords, are the most common style of sword mountings from the World War II era. There is an enormous difference in quality of both blades and mounts of this period. Many, perhaps most, of the blades found in shin-gunto mounts are NOT traditionally made swords. Many are machine made and therefore are of interest only as military relics, not as art swords. Some blades made during the war period were handmade but not by traditional methods. These are classified as either Showato, Muratato, Mantetsuto, Hantanzo or Yotetsuto depending on method of production.