Original Item: Only One Available. The end of WWII marked the beginning of the sword ownership ban in Japan. By law, Japanese citizens were forbidden to own swords. General McArthur did not want the general population to be able to arm again. Most soldiers and citizens surrendered their swords to the American occupying forces. The Americans destroyed a large number of swords by dumping them into the ocean or by melting them. But a small percentage made its way back to the United States and into the collector market.

This wonderful service used example is a genuine late WWII Japanese Type 95 NCO Samurai Sword or katana, produced during the end of the war around 1944-45. At this time, to save aluminum, the design switched to a simple wooden hilt grip with incised cross-hatching, often called a "pineapple" grip. The mounts were changed to black painted iron, with the securing spring moved to the side, an a new design steel scabbard to match. To further decrease production time, the fuller from the machine made blade was removed, however this example was made before that change. It is VERY rare to find a "Pineapple" handled Type 95 with the fullered blade that this example has. The blade is 26 1/2 inches long, with an overall length of 37 3/4 inches.

All NCO swords were numbered. This example has a matching serial number 202941 on both the blade and the throat of the scabbard. Most swords do not have matching numbers because somewhere along the life of the sword the scabbard was changed. The serial number on the blade has a faint 関 marking to the left, for Seki Arsenal in Japan.

The sword is complete with the metal locking spring tab that secures the blade to the scabbard. This prevents the sword from falling when the soldier is running. Traditionally this function is assigned to the Habaki (blade collar). But machine made swords like this one do not have the accuracy of manufacturing that enable the Habaki to perform such a function. NCO Katanas were issued to soldiers who did not want to take their family sword to battle or who came from poor families that did not have swords to pass down through the generations.

Condition shows wear from service, but it is still in very nice condition, with a nice "broken in" look that gives it a real patina of age. One can definitely imagine an NCO late in the war cutting through vegetation late in the war when Japan was in full retreat. The blade is still mostly bright, with areas of light staining and a bit of past peppering, now cleaned away. There is some scuffing on the blade near the tip, and definitely some wear and denting to the edge of the blade. The wood handle is still solidly attached to the blade, and has a lovely matured red-brown color. There is a bit of wear and light oxidation on the metal fittings, but nothing major.

The scabbard is in similar condition, not showing any real dents, but definitely showing some wear to the paint and oxidation where the paint is worn. There are some areas of wear through near the carrying loop that almost look like they were worn by a human hand, holding onto the scabbard as they ran. The fit and finish are definitely below the earlier type of NCO sword, making this a true 'last ditch' example, as all "pineapple grip" examples were.

Overall lovely matured late WWII Type 95 NCO "Pineapple" Katana with a rare fullered blade that will appreciate in value over the coming years. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 26 1/2"
Blade Style: Katana
Overall length: 37 3/4“
Scabbard Length: 29 1/8"