Old Japanese Army and Navy personnel's saber?

Type IX General Officer's Sword

Type IX is considered to be the highest level of Japan's World War II standard military sword, only the rank of Lieutenant General or General can be equipped with the type of IX as early as the end of the 19th Century stereotypes, in 1886 became Japan's standard military sword, but also divided into the Navy type and the Army type, which is the Navy type of metal decorations for the silver, the Army type of the gold, the handle of the two styles of the knife section The hilt of both models is made of fish skin material with a grainy surface, and the hilt is also modeled after the Western cavalry sword, with the addition of a guard ring on the side.

Navy and army type of the one-nine general officer knife size is the same, the length of the knife 92 centimeters, the length of the blade 78 centimeters, the thickness of 0.5 centimeters, the sheath length of 80 centimeters, the length of the knife handle 12 centimeters, and later in the navy type of the basis, improved a "dual-wielding" type, in order to facilitate the two-handed knife, the handle of the original basis of the knife, in order to facilitate the two-handed knife, in order to improve the quality of the knife. The hilt was extended a few centimeters from the original.

Three-second type command knife

Three-second type command knife is also in the late 19th century to become the Japanese army's standard saber, but also used in the Russo-Japanese War, to the Second World War, is still used as part of the Japanese officers and soldiers of the saber, three-second type is also divided into two types of Type A and Type B, which is specially equipped with the cavalry troops, the officers use with more beautiful decorative parts, the soldiers use is a normal version, with a metal sheath, the soldiers use a metal sheath, the soldiers use a metal sheath. The Type A is specially equipped for cavalry units, with officers using it with more elaborate decorations, while the one used by soldiers is an ordinary version with a metal sheath and a metal hilt without any decoration.

The Navy's senior officers were equipped with a more elaborate version with embellished sheaths and hilts, while cavalry officers were equipped with the Type 3-2 Type A command sword, which was of better workmanship and quality given that it would be used in combat on a regular basis.

But regardless of the Type 3-2 A or 3-2 B, the dimensions are the same, with a total length of 93.7 centimeters, a blade length of 78.5 centimeters, a thickness of 0.5 centimeters, a sheath length of 80.5 centimeters, and a handle part of 12.7 centimeters.

The Type 9-4 Command Sword

During World War II the Japanese Army's junior, middle, and senior officers, were equipped with the most Type 9-4 Command Sword. The Type 9-4 was introduced during the 1930's, but initially was not a military saber, but just a standard samurai sword built by Japanese civilian craftsmen, because the size was more suitable for the Japanese soldiers at the time, and then it was made into the standardized saber, and it was in use from 1934 until the end of World War II in 1945. to the end of World War II in 1945.

During its service, the Type 9-4 was divided into two categories, the first of which was issued to middle and senior officers from the rank of lieutenant colonel to major general, and the second to junior officers from warrant officer to first lieutenant as a command sword, and was therefore also nicknamed the "Type 9-4 General Officer's Sword" or "Type 9-4 Lieutenant's Sword".

The Type 9.4 Sword is also known as the "Type 9.4 General Officer's Sword" or "Type 9.4 Lieutenant's Sword.

The nine-four type command sword used by lieutenants, including the hilt and sheath are usually light brown or grass-green, with no other decorations on it, while the nine-four type used by the rank of sergeants and generals, the hilt and sheath with additional decorations, and the blade is better, and for some of the decorated, or commanders of the imperial family lineage, the hilt part of the knife will be used in the ivory or alabaster, and will also be set with gemstones on it. Gems, but regardless of all levels of the nine-four type command knife, the size is uniform, the body length of 101.8 centimeters, the blade length of about 74 centimeters, the thickness of 0.76 centimeters, the sheath length of 77 centimeters, and the handle of the knife is 24.8 centimeters.

Ninety-five-type sergeant's sword

Before World War II, only lieutenants (including warrant officers) and above could be equipped with command knives, but as the war intensified, in order to boost the morale of the army, it also began to equip the positions below the lieutenant with command knives, such as nine-five-type sergeant's sword, because only the chief of the Cao (sergeant major) was qualified to wear a sword, so the nine-five-type sergeant's sword also has the "chief sword". The Type 95 is also nicknamed the "Cao Chang Sword" because only the Cao Chang (Chief Sergeant) is qualified to wear it.

Ninety-five-style sergeant's knife is actually a low-cost version of the 94-type, full-length is also 101.8 centimeters, the biggest difference is that the 95-type poor workmanship, directly through the lathe production, but also did not go through the meticulous treatment, the sheath is also the use of metal stamping and made of the appearance of the army green lacquer, compared to the use of other officers of the commanding officer's knife, the nine five-type is very cheap, but for the bottom soldier

The nine-five is a cheap sword compared to other officers, but for the bottom soldiers, it is also an achievement to be able to hold the command sword of the Cao chief.

Ninety-eight type captain's knife

In the period of 1938 to 1945, the Japanese army from the lieutenant to the rank of lieutenant colonel, equipped with the nine-eight type of command knife, although nine-eight type is the product of the nine-four type after the product, but only for the intermediate officers, so the knife on the decorations are relatively small, lieutenant use is more rough, the sheath is only a layer of green or brown paint, there is no extra decorative pieces , though fish skin material was used for the handle part of the knife.

To the 1940s, the Japanese army fighting in the Pacific theater, the nine-eighth type used by the officer in the sheath added a layer of cowhide made of protective cover, one is to prevent wear and tear, the second is to prevent the rust in the tropical environment after encountering moisture, the nine-eighth type of the command knife's total length of 100.9 centimeters, the blade length of 60 centimeters, the thickness of 0.79 centimeters, the length of the sheath of 75.7 centimeters, the length of the hilt of 23.8 centimeters.

Sergeant, lieutenant crewman knife

The so-called crewman knife, is specially for the Japanese tank soldiers and fighter pilots at the time of the officer to create a shortened version of the knife, the crewman knife also belongs to the Type 98 command knife variant, the most important feature is in the original based on the shortening of the 14 to 43 centimeters, and the rest of the shape, workmanship, thickness of the blade, etc., and the same as the original version of the type 988, so the Japanese army at that time, also known as the "Type 98 command knife", "Type 988 command knife". also known as the Japanese army "98 type hitchhiker's knife".

There were various sizes of this type of knife, including 86cm, 81cm and 72cm for army armor officers, and 67cm, 60cm and shorter ones for army and navy pilots.

The Type III Lieutenant's Sword

Between 1942 and 1945, the Japanese Army was equipped with the then newest Type III Lieutenant's Sword, a combination of the previous Type 94 and Type 98 saber designs, which was finalized in the early 1940s, first for the Japanese Army fighting in the Pacific, and then a small number came to the Southeast Asian theater of operations as command swords for officers of the three ranks of second lieutenant, lieutenant, and first lieutenant, but with a smaller number of Type III Lieutenant's Swords. The three ranks of officers of the command knife, but the number is not as much as the last two types of Type 94 and Type 98.

The Type 3 Officer's Sword is more atmospheric than the previous model, and is divided into four sheaths: frosted black, dark green, burgundy, and light brown, with a simplified hilt that removes the traditional samurai sword's "chastisement" on the top of the sheath, and the "Sarutobi" on the back of the hilt. "Towards the end of World War II, due to the lack of resources and materials, the production of the Type 3 Lieutenant's Sword became even more crude, with the removal of the paint on the sheath, and the quality of the rope wrapped around the hilt becoming even worse, making the overall length of the Type 3 Lieutenant's Sword 98.7 centimeters, with a blade length of 65.8 centimeters, a thickness of 0.41 centimeters, a length of 72.2 centimeters in the sheath, and a hilt length of 26.1 centimeters. 26.1 centimeters.

Ninety-seven type naval command knife

Japanese Navy senior officers, including Marine Corps officers, equipped with a nine-seven type naval command knife, this model in Japan in 1937, Showa 12 years, customized, also known as the "Taisho type sword" or "" Navy Taisho". Navy sword", type 97 and the army's type 98 positioning is the same.

But due to the status of the Japanese Navy at that time than the Army, so the sword's workmanship is also better than the Army's, the scabbard itself is carved from wood, wrapped with treated blackfish skin, and comes with a unique texture, the hilt is also made of wood, with metal cherry blossom pattern, the external use of the wrapped around the rope, the length of the knife is 101 centimeters, the length of the blade is 72 centimeters, thickness of 0.8 centimeters, the length of the knife sheath is 72 centimeters, the thickness of 0.8 centimeters, the thickness of 0.8 centimeters. 0.8 centimeters, the sheath length is 75 centimeters, and the handle length is 26 centimeters.

Taisho three years type naval petty officer short sword

As early as 1873, Japan learns from the British Navy's concept, equipped with short swords for petty officers, but at that time the main introduction of the Western-style naval saber, to the Japanese Taisho three years, that is, in 1912, designed a naval petty officer of their own short sword, called Taisho three years type naval short sword, and has been used until the end of the Second World War!

The Taisho three-year naval officer's short sword is very fine workmanship, the hilt part of the wooden structure, the exterior wrapped with shark skin, the middle of the use of metal hoop winding, the surface of the scabbard is also wrapped with black shark skin, the front and back of the sheath and the end of the hilt, with exquisite metal decorations, and the presentation of the yellow gold color, highlighting the appearance of the calm and noble, the blade length of 39.6 centimeters, the length of the blade is 21.2 centimeters, the thickness of 0.5 centimeters, the sheath, the blade length of 0.5 centimeters, the thickness of 0.5 centimeters, the thickness of 0.5 centimeters. thickness of 0.5 cm, the length of the sheath is 28.8 cm, and the length of the handle is 10.3 cm.

The Taisho Three Years' Navy Petty Officer Candidate Short Sword

In order to inspire more young people to join the Navy, based on the Taisho Three Years' Navy Petty Officer Short Sword, a Taisho Three Years' Navy Petty Officer Candidate Short Sword was designed with a similar appearance to the original Navy Petty Officer Short Sword, but with some differences in the details. The candidate's Short Sword has a full length of 41.1 centimeters, blade length of 22.2 centimeters, thickness of 0.5 centimeters, sheath length of 28.8 centimeters, and pommel length of 10.3 centimeters. Thickness 0.5 centimeters, sheath length 30.42 centimeters, hilt length 10.05 centimeters, due to the beautiful appearance of this short sword, before the war attracted a lot of Japanese youth to join the Japanese Navy.