Eastern use of the sword 1600-1974
Samurai were the last of the true swordsmen in combat
The Japanese sword was invented by a smith named Amakuni in 700 AD, along with the folded steel process. Among other modifications, the katana became single-edged, and better suited for slashing. For more than a thousand years this was the primary weapon of the samurai. The height of its use was during the during the Tokugawa era (1603 to 1868). These swords were works of art being manufactured by swordmasters in traditional ways that had been perfected over hundreds of years. These sword makers were ranked in four different ranks MEIJIN - Superior Master) MEIKO - Great Master, JOKO - Excellent Artist, and RYOKO - Good Artist. Each master had their own markings on the Tsuba (hand guard) of the sword. The Haitorei edict in 1876 all but banned carrying swords Overnight, the market for swords died, many sword smiths were left without a trade to pursue, and valuable skills were lost The Late 19th Century Imperial Japanese military adopted a modified European pattern sword which they called Kyu-gunto swords, in 1883 by Army and Navy officers, non commissioned officers and cavalry troopers. These swords generally are comparable to the same pieces used in Europe at the time and were machine made with chromed metal blades, lacquered wood and brass furniture in either leather or metal sheaths unlike the lacquered wood sheaths of the old Samurai swords.
Shin-gunto swords were designed to reverse this theme of European imitation in the 1930's. The Shin-gunto sword was basically a factory made effort to give a rebirth to the traditional katana blade. It was the standard for Imperial officers by 1934. Unlike the more famous folded steel Japanese blades, swords made at the opening of World War 2 were mass produced and quality was far from what the Tokugawa warriors carried into battle. The scabbard more often than not was simply painted brown or navy blue, or left with a steel finish. Hilts were cast and an effort was made to make them 'look' like the old samurai swords of their grandfathers. Two Imperial Japanese Army sub-lieutenants Toshiaki Mukai and Tsuyoshi Noda, were credited (possibly incorrectly) with killing 105 and 106 chinese soldiers respectively in a contest to kill 100 people using a sword first during the December 1937 Nanking campaign. When it was exposed post war that most of these were unarmed prisoners of war these men were hanged for thier deeds.
By 1945, there were numerous "desperation" ends of war varieties of shin-gunto being produced both in Japan and in the areas of Japanese occupation such as Korea and Formosa. These swords are of the poorest mechanical quality being made by unskilled often impressed laborers from scrap and salvaged materials. These swords were given freely to Kamikaze volunteers and new officers headed to certain death on remote island garrisons. While in the history of western warfare it was accepted common practice to allow surrendered officers to keep their swords, very few captured Japanese were granted this privilege of the battlefield and thousands of these weapons found themselves stuffed in the duffle bags of allied soldiers returning home at the end of the war. Today the Japanese Self Defense Forces, eager to move away from their martial past, do not issue swords of any kind. The last shin-gunto samurai sword carried by a uniformed Japanese officer was surrendered some years later. Upon his surrender Lt Hiro Onada turned over his sword personally to President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines before boarding a plane and going home to Japan. It was March 12, 1974, twenty nine years after the official end of the war.
President Marcos returned the sword to Lt Onada's custody with honor.
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