AN UN-MESSED WITH, WW2 JAPANESE OFFICERS KATANA.

Originally bought back as an American GI's souvenir, this Katana has been in the same collection for the past 30 years. A typical later war factory produced example with corresponding features. I'm glad to say it has bee left completely alone. Nice cloth bound grip shows age handling but no damage. The little cloth string/cord to the pommel is broken/missing. The Tsuba is one piece cast with some hilt remaining. The green painted steel scabbard shows some old surface pitting but still a lot of paint evident. One of the lower 'semigane' decorations is missing. You can see where it was. The blade itself is factory forged but in lovely condition with no damage or edge nicks. I had an expert carefully remove the hilt for me to read the casting markings on the hilt. It's dated 1944 as far as I remember plus the other untouched foundry/factory marks. This is not a 'family' blade or sword, but a proper, honest WW2 Katana.