Japanese Kyu-Gunto Sword

I thought this sword would be a nice transition from the European swords I’ve been posting, on to the few Asian swords I’ll be posting next.

If you’ve seen the highly fictionalized “The Last Samurai” with Tom Cruz, you know the times this sword was originally designed in. At the start of the Meiji Restoration, the Samurai were disenfranchised and the Japanese government began creating an imperial army along European lines, at first using French (Sorry Tom, not American) advisors.

Starting in 1875, a new sword was developed that became the first standard issue for the new army. The kyu-gunto (roughly “old [or first] pattern military sword”) was a weird hybrid of European ideas and Japanese sword traditions. The hilt is very European with its floral guard and knuckle bow, but with the Imperial Chrysanthemum incorporated. It has an elongated grip that may be to accommodate the longer Japanese sword tang. Also, the blade itself is traditionally Japanese. With the rise of Japanese nationalism and a reawakened interest in Samurai ethos, this sword was preplaced by the traditional samurai style swords, starting in 1934.

My sword is the more highly prized version with a more traditionally crafted blade. In the first photo, you should be able to see the temper line (hamon) along the blade, looking a bit like fire or a storm tossed sea. Another indicator is the bamboo pin (Mekugi) holding the blade tang in place. Factory manufactured kyu-gunto don’t usually have mekugi. The blade itself is in the style of a katana, with an edge that turns up abruptly just before the tip. There is however a fuller running the length of the sides, which I think of as a nod to European design. And yes, the blade is still very sharp.

Like traditional Japanese swords, the blade passes through a rectangular collar (habaki) and a flat spacer with a rippled edge (seppa) before entering the guard. The grip is traditional Japanese ray skin (unfortunately damaged), wrapped in typical European fashion with a triple strand of wire.

For this post, I have disassembled the sword for the first – and I believe last – time to photograph the Japanese swordsmith’s marks on the tang. I’ll be sending that photo to someone to identify the maker and hopefully get more information on the age. I’ll update this when I know more.