Japanese military sword, 1872-1945
The
gunt?
(
軍刀
, military sword)
was a
ceremonial sword
produced for the Imperial Japanese
army
and
navy
after the introduction of conscription in 1872.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
During the
Meiji period
, the samurai class was gradually disbanded, and the
Hait?rei Edict
in 1876 forbade the carrying of swords in public except for certain individuals such as former samurai lords (
daimy?s
), the military and police.
[2]
Skilled swordsmiths had trouble making a living during this period as Japan modernized its military and many swordsmiths started making other items such as cutlery. Military action by Japan in China and Russia during the Meiji Period helped revive the manufacture of swords and in the
Sh?wa period
(1926?1989) before and during World War II swords were once again produced on a large scale.
[3]
During the pre?
World War II
military buildup and throughout the war, all Japanese officers were required to wear a sword. Traditionally made swords were produced during this period but, in order to supply such large numbers of swords, blacksmiths with little or no knowledge of traditional Japanese sword manufacture were recruited. In addition, supplies of the type of Japanese steel (
tamahagane
) used for sword making were limited so several other types of steel were substituted. Shortcuts in forging were also taken, such as the use of power hammers and tempering the blade in oil rather than hand forging and water tempering; these measures created swords without the usual characteristics associated with Japanese swords.
The non-traditionally made swords from this period are called
Sh?wat?.
In 1937, the Japanese government started requiring the use of special stamps on the tang to distinguish these swords from traditionally made swords. During this wartime period antique swords from older time periods were remounted for use in the military. In Japan,
sh?wat?
are not considered to be true Japanese swords, and they can be confiscated. Outside Japan they are collected as historical artifacts.
[4]
[2]
[3]
Types
[
edit
]
Ky? gunt?
(old military sword)
[
edit
]
The first standard sword of the Japanese military was known as the
ky? gunt?
(
?軍刀
, old military sword)
.
Murata Tsuneyoshi
(1838?1921), a Japanese general who previously made guns, started making what was probably the first mass-produced substitute for traditionally made samurai swords. These swords are referred to as
Murata-t?
and they were used in both the Sino-Japanese War (1894?1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904?1905).
[5]
The
ky? gunt?
was used from 1875 until 1934, and many styles closely resembled European and American swords of the time, with a wraparound hand guard (also known as a D-guard) and
chrome plated
scabbard (
saya
), the steel scabbard is said to have been introduced around 1900.
[6]
[7]
Prior to 1945, many
ky? gunt?
were distributed to commissioned officers to fill a demand for swords to Japan's expanding military officer classes. To distinguish individuality, wealth or craftsmanship, many swords were produced in batches as small as 1?25 to maintain the legacy of sword culture. Styles varied greatly, with inspirations drawn from swords of early periods, familial crests, and experimental artistic forms that the Meiji Restoration period had begun to introduce. Some examples have included European style silverworking, jade, cloisonne, or metalwork and paint for artistic relief.
[8]
Shin gunt?
(new military sword)
[
edit
]
The
shin gunt?
(
新軍刀
, new military sword)
was a weapon and symbol of rank used by the
Imperial Japanese Army
, between the years of 1935?1945. During most of that period, the swords were manufactured at the
Toyokawa Naval Arsenal
.
In response to rising nationalism within the armed forces, a new style of sword was designed for the Japanese military in 1934. The
shin gunt?
was styled after a traditional slung tachi of the Kamakura Period (1185?1332). Officers' ranks were indicated by coloured tassels tied to a loop at the end of the hilt. The corresponding colors were brown-red and gold for generals; brown and red for field officers; brown and blue for company or warrant officers; brown for sergeants, sergeants major or corporals.
[7]
The blades found in
shin gunt?
ranged from modern machine-made blades through contemporary traditionally-manufactured blades to ancestral blades dating back hundreds of years.
After the Second World War's conclusion, most produced gunt? were made to resemble the traditionally cloth wrapped shin-gunto swords, but out of a solid metal casting. On later models the hilts were made of aluminum and painted to resemble the lacing (ito) on officer's
shin-gunt?
swords. These swords will have serial numbers on their blades and are nearly always machine made. If the sword is all original, the serial numbers on the blade, tsuba, saya and all other parts should match.
Type 94
[
edit
]
The Type 94
shin gunt?
(
九四式軍刀
,
ky?yon-shiki gunt?
)
officers'
sword replaced the Western style
kyu gunto
in 1934. It had a traditionally constructed
hilt
(
tsuka
) with ray skin (
same
) wrapped with traditional silk wrapping (
ito
). A cherry blossom (a symbol of the
Imperial Japanese Army
) theme was incorporated into the guard (
tsuba
), pommels (
fuchi
and
kashira
), and ornaments (
menuki
).
The scabbard for the Type 94 was made of metal with a wood lining to protect the blade. It was often painted brown and was suspended from two brass mounts, one of which was removable and only used when in full dress uniform. The fittings on the scabbard were also decorated with cherry blossom designs.
Type 95
[
edit
]
The Type 95
shin gunt?
(
九十五式軍刀
,
ky?g?-shiki gunt?
)
released in 1935 was designed for use by
non-commissioned officers
(NCOs). It was designed to resemble an officer's
shin gunt?
but be cheaper to mass-produce. All NCOs' swords had machine-made blades with deep
fullers
(
bo hi
) and a serial number stamped on the blade in
arabic numerals
. Initially the hilts were cast out of metal (either copper or aluminium) and painted to resemble the traditionally produced items on the officer's swords. They had brass guards similar to the officer's
shin gunt?
.
By 1945, a simplified NCO sword was being produced. It had a simple wooden hilt with cross hatched grooves for grip. The scabbards were made from wood instead of metal and the guard and other fittings were made from iron instead of brass.
Type 98
[
edit
]
The change to the Type 98
shin gunt?
(
九八式軍刀
,
ky?hachi-shiki gunt?
)
occurred in 1938 and was essentially a simplification of the Type 94. There were only minor differences between early Type 98 swords and the Type 94 swords that preceded them. Most notably the second (removable) hanging point was omitted from the scabbard.
Many changes occurred to the Type 98 between 1938 and the end of the war in 1945. Late in the war Japan's supply of metal was drying up and
shin gunt?
were produced with painted wooden scabbards, and with cheaper or no brass ornamentation. Some of the final swords produced in the last year of the war utilized cheap copper or blackened iron fittings.
Kaigunt?
(naval sword)
[
edit
]
Kaigunt?
(
海軍刀
, naval sword)
are the less common naval versions of the
shin gunt?
.
[9]
Some
kai gunto
were produced with stainless steel blades.
[10]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Ky? gunt?
-
Type 95 non-commissioned officer's sabre, with a cast metal painted hilt designed to look like a traditionally wrapped
tsuka
-
Kai gunt?
with a ray-skin scabbard
-
Type 98 army sabre
In popular culture
[
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]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Land Warfare: An Illustrated World View
, Author Byron Farwell, Publisher W. W. Norton & Company, 2001,
ISBN
9780393047707
p.437
- ^
a
b
The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords
, Author K?kan Nagayama, Publisher Kodansha International, 1997
ISBN
9784770020710
P.43
- ^
a
b
Samurai: The Weapons And Spirit Of The Japanese Warrior
, Author Clive Sinclaire, Publisher Globe Pequot, 2004,
ISBN
9781592287208
P.58?59
- ^
Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths: From 1868 to the Present
, Authors Leon Kapp, Hiroko Kapp, Yoshindo Yoshihara, Publisher Kodansha International, 2002
ISBN
9784770019622
P.58?70
- ^
Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths: From 1868 to the Present
, Authors Leon Kapp, Hiroko Kapp, Yoshindo Yoshihara, Publisher Kodansha International, 2002,
ISBN
9784770019622
P.42
- ^
War in the Pacific: Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay: the Story of the Bitter Struggle in the Pacific Theater of World War II, Featuring Commissioned Photographs of Artifacts from All the Major Combatants
, Author Bernard C. Nalty, Publisher University of Oklahoma Press, 1999,
ISBN
9780806131993
P.10
- ^
a
b
The Japanese Army 1931?42, Volume 1 of The Japanese Army, 1931?45
, Author Philip S. Jowett, Publisher Osprey Publishing, 2002,
ISBN
9781841763538
P.41
- ^
Gregory, Ron R. . "GUNTO SWORDS". JAPANESE MILITARY SWORDS - I. March 13, 2015. Accessed June 26, 2017.
https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/military.htm
.
- ^
Samurai: The Weapons And Spirit Of The Japanese Warrior
, Author Clive Sinclaire, Publisher Globe Pequot, 2004,
ISBN
9781592287208
P.85
- ^
Warman's World War II Collectibles: Identification and Price Guide
, Author John F. Graf, Publisher F+W Media, Inc, 2007,
ISBN
9780896895461
P.212
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Gunt?
.
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