serial number tracing japanese swords2009/2/6 17:29 Dear sir,Is there any web site which can provide details of the original recipient of a japanese sword.
there 's one on Auction in Australia closing Eastern standard time Sun 8TH 1pm
Serial 107584 . I thinks its an NCO issue
regards johnby john jancz (guest)
Wwii Japanese Sword Serial Numbers
No2009/2/24 18:50 NCO WW2 swords are machine made lumps of steel, and are the only Japanese swords with a serial number. There are no records anywhere worldwide on who owned or carried them, and just as well, as these are considered weapons in Japan and would be destroyed if ever sent back to Japan. They are not traditionally made, and are only of any value to militaria collectors and not Nihonto collectors.by Nihonto (guest)rate this post as useful
I found this sword over the week-end in a storage unit a friend & I won at auction. It is heavy & "feels" real. But it also has no name, only a serial number below the guard. But the guard looks like the gold color on it is chipping/fading which makes me think copy - but the sword doesn't have Pakistan or China on it anywhere which makes me wonder "what if?"
I couldn't get past those Arabic numerals (which no one would put on a sword he was trying to pass off as a genuine "samurai" sword), so that serial number became part of my searchm, leading me to discover that in WWII the Japanese issued a sword to NCOs with Arabic numerals.
After the Second World War's conclusion, most produced guntÅ 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-guntÅ 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.
The handle is made out of aluminum as the title post suggests. It also has a safety catch in the handle that suggests it was a naval sword and instead of a signature under the handle it's got the kanji for east and the numbers 6839. I'm told that it means it was made in a town named Yoko during the war.
Hi Cameron,
I am sorry to say this, but you really need to find a new "source". All or most of what he told you is wrong.
This is an "NCO sword". They were mass-produced in the factories that made firearms and bayonets. NCO means "non-commisioned officer". These swords were issued to NCO's that didn't have a "family" blade, or couldn't afford to buy a good blade. The aluminum handle is a standard feature. It is not a late-war feature. The 4-digit number on the blade is a serial number (just like on guns). The mouth of the scabbard should have the same number. The latch is also a standard feature - it does not mean Navy or Army or anything else. The markings on the handle, just next to the guard, indicate which factory it came from. In particular, the one that looks like 4 circles (as I recall, it is Koishikawa, Tokyo).
The value is probably "a few hundred $$", but it only has value to a "militaria" collector. It is not a "Nihonto" (traditional Japanese sword).
The condition is not particularly good - I see a lot of pits from rust damage.
If your "source" sold it to you after telling you all that stuff, then he cheated you.
Additionally, purchasing a Katana sword from an online platform would jeopardize your chance of getting an authentic piece because you would not identify all these features. If you want to get a real Katana sword, you should purchase from a verifiable source, ensuring all the tiny details are included. One other point to focus on is the grain or hada on the steel. These are tiny dots that are clear without fuzziness. Most machine-made swords lack this feature but have serial numbers near the base of the blade, and if you identify such, then it is a fake. Even though a handmade sword does not guarantee authenticity, you will be one step closer to finding your real samurai sword. Lastly, the Samurai sword must possess a shape and design that is historically accurate and balanced to perfection. Once these boxes are checked, you can proudly display your war trophy authentic samurai sword.
One really odd bit of the story was that a whole bunch of the major characters were pretty obviously real-world characters with the serial-numbers filed off and a couple cosmetic changes made. I noticed at least Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Elon Musk, Malala Yousef, Sarah Palin[1], and Francis Crick.
d0d94e66b7