How common are gunto blades repurposed as knives/shortswords/machetes?

Lee · 24th August 2022, 06:38 PM

I imagine enterprising GIs could get three of these out of a katana. This is probably coming from the forte, the grip is stacked plexiglass washers. It has a nice hamon with very tight grain and we can only hope it was a gunto.

Pitt1999 · 24th August 2022, 07:31 PM

I was just reminded of a piece that a seller on eBay (and member of the forum) showed me from his personal collection, a full length signed blade furnished with a "theater" style handle with plexiglass washers. The tang was reshaped and the signature was essentially destroyed. A nightmare for nihonto collectors but a jackpot for theater knife collectors. Is that piece in your reply yours?

Lee · 24th August 2022, 08:05 PM

Yes, acquired decades ago through - you guessed it - eBay.

Actually, I was a bit optimistic about the yield, as with the blade measuring 14 3/4 inches not including the tang, the best that could be expected would be two .

24th August 2022, 06:38 PM	#1
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 996	Nihonto collector's nightmare I imagine enterprising GIs could get three of these out of a katana. This is probably coming from the forte, the grip is stacked plexiglass washers. It has a nice hamon with very tight grain and we can only hope it was a gunto. Attached Images

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24th August 2022, 07:31 PM	#2
Pitt1999 Member Join Date: Sep 2021 Posts: 113	I was just reminded of a piece that a seller on eBay (and member of the forum) showed me from his personal collection, a full length signed blade furnished with a "theater" style handle with plexiglass washers. The tang was reshaped and the signature was essentially destroyed. A nightmare for nihonto collectors but a jackpot for theater knife collectors. Is that piece in your reply yours?

24th August 2022, 08:05 PM	#3
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 996	Yes, acquired decades ago through - you guessed it - eBay. Actually, I was a bit optimistic about the yield, as with the blade measuring 14 3/4 inches not including the tang, the best that could be expected would be two .