Reproduction World War II Japanese Naval Officers Shin-Gunto Wakizashi and Scabbard. The wakizashi, the smaller version of the katana, is more often used for close combat, with short stabbing thrusts, rather than the sweeping slices of the larger but similarly shaped samurai sword. The metal sheath is decorated throughout with symbols and figures. 

Size: 3 1/2 x 32 1/2 x 3 in. 

The kyū guntō, or “old military sword,” served as the first standard-issue blade for the Japanese military from 1875 to 1934. Often called Murata-tō, these weapons were the first mass-produced substitutes for traditional samurai swords and saw action in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars. Their design drew heavily from Western influences, featuring European-style D-guards and chrome-plated steel scabbards. In 1934 rising nationalism led to the introduction of the shin guntō, which abandoned Western aesthetics in favor of the traditional Kamakura Period tachi style. These “new” (or “true”) swords utilized colored tassels to denote officer ranks, with specific color combinations assigned to generals, field officers, and NCOs. While some contained ancestral blades dating back centuries to show familial pride, as the government began to require repurposing of old blades due to resource shortages later wartime models often featured machine-made aluminum hilts and serial numbers for rapid mass production to distinguish older and newer pieces.

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