All Japanese officers in 20th century wartime Japan were required to wear a sword as a badge of rank. Though traditional swordsmiths made exquisite blades for the highest officers, there was no way they could meet the massive demand required by the military. The gap was filled with non-traditional smiths using non-traditional metals and techniques. Though inherently inferior to traditional blades, these swords still carried the weighty symbolism of the Japanese martial character.
These katana-like blades are called Shin Gunto which means new military sword. They existed alongside the older Kyu Gunto sabers that were in emulation of western-style swords. Though more traditional in appearance, the popularity of the Shin Gunto was a later arrival and it greatly increased in popularity from the 1930s through WWII as the Japanese nationalism sought inspiration from their samurai past over a prior emphasis on foreign inspiration.
In modern Japan, these mass-produced Showato class swords are illegal to own as they are not considered to be true Japanese swords due to their wartime manufacturing shortcuts. Though these mass-produced military Shin Gunto swords substituted the complex Japanese blade-making techniques for mass-manufactured steel, they were still lethally sharpened.
This recreation of a Shin Gunto is a finer example of the more elaborate Shin Guntos crafted, for it has an actual Ito grip wrap of leather. Many of the Shin Guntos had a false Ito of painted cast metal on the grip. This Shin Gunto has an unsharpened, tempered blade of high carbon steel. It has a tsuba and pommel cap of brass. A single, thick copper seppa lies beneath the brass habaki. The grip is wrapped with brown waxed lacing.
The scabbard is of steel with brass accents and is lined on the interior with wood. It has a single brass hanging ring. A simple locking mechanism on the sword and scabbard keep the sword firmly kept in place until released by a button push.
Braedon Kowaluck –
Good looking, poor construction I am fairly new to sword collecting, but I have always been fascinated by them since I was young. This was my first ever real sword, so to speak. Everything else was your typical stainless steel wallhanger, but we all have to start somewhere. While I really wanted to love this sword, I sadly can’t. Before we get into the negatives, let’s talk about the good things. Firstly, it looks very good. I am a very big fan of how the sword looks and feels in the hand, and I really do love the shape of it. The small little details on the guard are quite nice as well. Leather grip is nice and comfortable, too. Thirdly, the price. This sword is extremely affordable, and I really do enjoy that. However, now we get into the negatives. Firstly, I need to bring up the scabbard. This thing angers me beyond any reason, to the point where I don’t even sheathe the sword in it anymore. On the surface, it’s fine. Then you start looking closer. Under the brass parts where the sword hanger is, there is now a large stretch of blackish, almost mold-like substance. I don’t know what it is, but it really is quite an eyesore. This could be unique to my copy, but it is still a problem nonetheless. Now, the inside of the scabbard is what angers me the most. I don’t know what the inside of the scabbard is made of, but whenever the blade is drawn from it, it leaves these large black streak marks on the blade. This is beyond annoying, as it is very hard to clean off. Personally, I don’t think this should be happening at all. Now, onto the actual sword itself. As I said before, it feels very good in the hand. Steel feels fairly good, and after a few strong wacks, has no damage whatsoever. The handle, however, is a different story. After the literal first hit with it, which I will admit was an accident into a bit of wood, the hilt began to wobble and move around, to the point of where you can hear it whenever you move the sword. This makes me doubt the sturdiness of the construction of the hilt. Now, I really do enjoy this sword, but I am fairly disappointed. I don’t know if I can recommend it to anymore