The Japanese Type 32 Saber was a government-issued cavalry sword. It was first issued in 1889 and would be crafted until the end of WWII, though by the end of WWII, where they had been serving in Manchuria and China. Though horses were largely obsolete for warfare at the time, the open terrain of North China gave advantages to using cavalry that slow men and vehicles lacking in supply depots could not fully exploit. The cavalry found their usefulness in reconnaissance and supply line raids. The Soviets enjoyed a similar advantage with their cavalry in WWII.
In the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese Cavalry usually fought dismounted, fighting as mobile infantry who used their horses to take advantageous support positions. On one example though, the Japanese Cavalry crossed blades with the Russian Cossacks on a clash on horseback. After a fierce fight, the Japanese had to give the field to the famous Cossack cavalrymen. In the earlier Sino-Japanese war, the Japanese cavalry fought admirably, combining their samurai-inspired spirit with the cavalry tactics and equipment typical of contemporary western cavalry.
This Japanese Type 32 Cavalry Saber shows the adoption of Western influence coupled with traditional Japanese styling popular at the closing years of the 19th century. The blade is katana-like in styling, though it has the proportions of a saber. The hilt is clearly heavily western influenced. The unsharpened blade is crafted from high carbon steel. The hilt is of steel with a leather finger loop and the grip is of cross-hatched wood with a steel backplate. The scabbard is of steel with brass accents and a brass hanging ring. The sword locks into the scabbard via a simple catch lock. A press of the thumb releases the lock.
Julian Larocque (verified owner) –
Allow me to break my rating down –
5 stars to KOA for their service and support. With everything being the way they are these days, KOA still manages to deliver excellent customer care and quality support.
4 stars for the sword. Considering the price of this item it truly is an amazing value. It’s sturdy with no looseness in any of the fittings. The machining and tooling is a bit imprecise (the cap between the guard and the handle is crooked and cannot be straightened due to the alignment of the bottom nut with the tang) and its only annoying from a super picky aesthetic point of view. The wooden grip is also not flush with the back strap in places, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable in the hand. The sword is overall quite light, and is easy to use despite the balance favoring the blade – as is expected of a cavalry saber.
Thank you to KOA for your hard work. This Deepeeka sword both feels good in the hand and looks good mounted amongst my other swords.
Dale Patten (verified owner) –
I chose to get one of the munitions grade seconds offered. Blade came with a few slight bends in it, but that was expected and advertised in the description. Otherwise it’s still nice and solid feeling. POB ended up being at a little over 6″ which is nice and the sword overall doesn’t feel overly heavy. Blade didn’t have any taper on my example but that’s ok. Handle feels ok without gloves but the area near the latch can be a little sharp if you grip it too high up. Very utilitarian in design. Very good for the price.
Bruce P. –
While fairly close, I can promise you this is a replica, not an original Japanese Type 32. I study Japanese war swords. However, the price is inline with most replicas. [KOA: Hi Bruce – we only sell replicas and not antiques]
Noah (verified owner) –
Very good sword! Fits right in with the rest of my milsurp collection, a mix of authentic and repro items. The build itself is very good and would be fine for any historical representation.