SOLD JAPANESE ARMY OFFICERS SHIN GUNTO SWORD……..OLD ANCESTRAL BLADE……HIGH END MOUNTS……COLONEL’S TASSEL!!!

This is a very interesting Japanese Army Officers Shin gunto Sword with a very rare Colonel Grade Tassel.    The sword blade is very old and dates from no later than the late 1700’s.  It is in good polish with a very elaborate temper line and is 22.5 inches length.  This is mounted in above average military pattern fittings and the gilt is almost completely intact on the handle and on the scabbard as well.  To the Japanese Army officer a Sword was a sacred symbol that conveyed high social status.  This was a family heirloom that was re-purposed into the regulation Army Officers Shin Gunto Sword and would have certainly had great sentimental value to the Japanese Army Colonel who carried it as a badge of rank.  The Japanese Military Officers “Samurai” sword was the most prized war trophy of the Pacific War and it was an iconic symbol of the Japanese ethos of Warfare.