WWII Signed Shin Gunto Japanese Army Officer Sword

The shin gunto sword has an overall length in the scabbard of approximately 39 inches, with a blade length of approximately 26 inches. The blade exhibits some relatively minor signs of age, with spots, scratches and smudges, but it is generally clean and quite bright, while displaying a distinct and visible temper line. The tang has a single mounting hole and it is signed “Tōtō-jū Minamoto Yoshiharu-saku” (“Made by Minamoto Yoshiharu of Tōtō [Tokyo]”). “Yoshiharu”‘s family name was “Mitani”. He was a pupil of Kurihara Hikozaburo Akihide and studied at the Japanese Sword Training Institute. The grip is covered in light sharkskin, 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 dark olive brown paint, which is clean and intact. Overall the sword is in excellent condition. We photographed the sword with the retaining peg removed and it will be replaced when the sword is shipped.