This is an excellent example of a Navy Officer Kyu-Gunto, complete with a brass fit leather parade scabbard. Those swords with elongated hilts and mekugi (peg for holding blade into hilt) are more likely to have hand forged blades, while the swords lacking mekugi generally are machine made and may have chromed blades. The backstraps of naval kyu-gunto swords have no side pieces while army kyu-gunto and colonial swords have side pieces with various emblems on the backstrap. Any style scabbard may have a leather field cover. Many variations are found in the scabbards of kyu-gunto swords including chromed metal, lacquered wood or leather covered wood with brass fixtures. Like shin-gunto, a great variety of quality in both blades, traditional and machine made, and mounts is seen in kyu-gunto swords. This style of mounting was used from 1883 until 1945. Kyu-gunto swords, also called Russo-Japanese swords, were used by Army, Cavalry and Naval officers during the Russo-Japanese War and WWII. Some examples have included European style silverworking, jade, cloisonné, or metalwork and paint for artistic relief.
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. To distinguish individuality, wealth or craftsmanship, many swords were produced in batches as small as 1–25 to maintain the legacy of sword culture. Prior to 1945, many kyū guntō were distributed to commissioned officers to fill a demand for swords to Japan’s expanding military officer classes. The kyu gunto was used from 1875 until 1934, it 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. These swords are referred to as “Murata-to” and they were used in both the Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895) and the Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905).
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. The first standard sword of the Japanese military was known as the kyu gunto (旧軍刀, old military sword).
0 kommentar(er)
