It has the correct arsenal markings on the hilt collar (fuchi) and blade, and the spacers (seppa) are cast and rounded, while the replicas are crudely cut. There are some Chinese replicas of these out there, however this sword is definitely genuine. The scabbard still has lot of the original olive green paint present, with the expected oxidation where it has worn away. However it still has the correct yellow highlighting on the 'menuki' and cherry blossom on the pommel. The brown paint on the hilt has partly worn away, as it did not really stick well to the aluminum. There are a few nicks on the edge of the blade, but they are hard to photograph. The condition of this sword is very good, though the blade definitely does show some wear. NCO Katanas were issued to soldiers who did not want to take their family sword to battle or who came from poor families that did not have swords to pass down through the generations. But machine made swords like this one do not have the accuracy of manufacturing that enable the Habaki to perform such a function. Traditionally this function is assigned to the Habaki (blade collar). This prevents the sword from falling when the soldier is running. The sword is complete with the metal locking spring tab that secures the blade to the scabbard. Most swords do not have matching numbers because somewhere along the life of the sword the scabbard was changed. This example has a matching serial number 93225 on both the blade and the throat of the scabbard. It is said that during battle soldiers would not use the ring but rather would stick the sword through the belt the same way as the Samurai in ancient times.Īll NCO swords were numbered. The design copies the typical WWII Imperial Japanese Army style fittings, known as the 'New Military Sword' ( 新軍刀 - shin guntou) style, with a single hanger ring and bolster on the scabbard. Blade is 26 1/4 inches long, with an overall length of 36 1/4inches. The grip wrapping and menuki are cast-formed, and then painted to give the illusion of fabric wrappings and gilt menuki. This service used example is a genuine WWII Japanese Type 95 NCO Samurai Sword or katana, with aluminum handle construction and machine made fullered blade. But a small percentage made its way back to the United States and into the collector market.

The Americans destroyed a large number of swords by dumping them into the ocean or by melting them. Most soldiers and citizens surrendered their swords to the American occupying forces. General McArthur did not want the general population to be able to arm again. By law, Japanese citizens were forbidden to own swords. The end of WWII marked the beginning of the sword ownership ban in Japan.

Wwii japanese sword serial numbers