WW2 Japanese Katana Sword

Here is a new addition to my collection........... a genuine WW2 Japanese Army Katana!
This sword found it's way to me via a dear family friend who rececived it from a US veteran who returned from the South Pacific in 1945. As a boy, he played with it until it eventually found its way to a closet shelf where it waited to come my way :)

It is a very typical, field issue type military sword without any fancy work. The wood scabard is leather covered with two metal hanging rings. The pomel is plain bronze and the wood grip is wrapped in the original hemp cording. From what I can tell from my initial research, two sword hangers indicate it is a very early war sword. The army made a single hanger standard shortly after the war was on. The hemp grip wrap and leather cover indicate that it is set up for battlefield use.



Millions of Japanese swords were produced by Imperial Japan for their soldiers and civilians and nearly all of them are not considered overly valuable beyond their actual place in history. This one has great value, not because of its "Evil Empire" past, but because of the family history it gained in the hands of a kid in the good old USA.



Stay tuned for more research updates...................