WWII Shin Gunto Japanese Army Officer Sword

The shin gunto sword has an overall length in the scabbard of approximately 40 inches, with a blade length of approximately 25-1/2 inches. The blade exhibits signs of age, with scratches and some dark spots but the blade is without nicks, chips, or active rust. The blade displays a visible temper line and it would likely respond well to a careful cleaning. The grip is covered in light sharkskin, showing some chips, and it is tightly wrapped in the traditional manner with golden brown fabric. Beneath the fabric on each side of the grip are the standard military menuki of three cherry blossoms, with a toned gilt finish. The tsuba guard is the solid style with four raised cherry blossoms in relief. The steel scabbard retains its olive green paint, with the surfaces having wear and signs of age, but with the paint being generally intact. At some point in the distant past the menuki peg was lost or removed from the grip and it was replaced with a screw and a nut to secure the grip, with those components now being rusted and no attempt was made to remove them from the sword to examine the tang for a signature.