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1 Japanese World War II Army Officer’s Samurai sword available.  This full polish katana was made by Masayasu.  This Japanese sword would make an important addition to any collection.

This is a desirable hand-made gendai sword.  This sword’s hamon is exceptional.  See the photos for a closer look.  This sword was made with tamahagane, and was water-tempered.  Note the hada/grain in this sword not exhibited in most WW2 gendai-to swords.  

The blade measures 26 3/16″ (66.5 cm) from blade tip to notch in the blade spine.  

Note the superior koshirae.  

1 Japanese World War II Army Officer’s Samurai sword available.  This full polish katana was made by Masashige.  This Japanese sword would make an important addition to any collection.

This is a desirable hand-made gendai sword.  Matsubayashi Masashige was awarded ‘Special Honor Noted Seat/Sword Forging Teacher’ at the 1941 Exhibition.  Just 33 of the hundreds of swordsmith participants in the 1941 Exhibition were awarded this ranking.  This sword’s hamon is exceptional.  See the photos for a closer look.  This sword was made with tamahagane, and was water-tempered.  Note the hada/grain in this sword not exhibited in most WW2 gendai-to swords.  

In 1942 Mr. Kurihara Hikosaburo, a historian who helped to bring out a revival of the sword-making tradition in Japan, ranked 400 wartime Japanese swordsmiths into 7 skill categories–saijo saku (highest), jojo saku, jo saku, chujo saku, chu saku, chuge saku, and ge saku.  Matsubayashi Masashige was ranked in the second highest skill category by Mr. Hikosaburo.  

The blade measures 24 1/8″ (61.3 cm) from blade tip to notch in the blade spine.  

Note the superior koshirae.  

1 antique Japanese kozuka handle available.  This exceptional kozuka handle is several centuries old.  This fine kozuka/side knife handle would make an important addition to any collection.

This fine shakudo and gold gilt kozuka measures 3 3/4″ (9.5cm) by just over 9/16″ wide (1.4 cm).

1 antique World War II Imperial Japanese Army Officer’s sword tassel available.  This hard-to-find original Company Grade Officer’s tassel is in rare mint condition, and would make an important addition to any higher-grade Japanese military-mounted sword. 

This silk tassel is blue and brown in color.  This WW2 tassel has the proper smell of age. 

1 rare antique World War II Japanese kogatana side/utility knife available.  A kogatana made during World War II, or in the decade or two prior, like this one, is very rare.  This gendai kogatana was made by the Third Generation Sukemaru.  This fine kogatana/side knife would make an important addition to any collection.

This World War II kogatana is larger than the usual Samurai kogatana.  It measures 8 7/16″ (21.4 cm) overall.  The blade itself measures 5 5/16″ (13.5 cm).  This beefy kogatana measures 9/16″ (1.4 cm) wide by 1/8″ thick (.3 cm). 

The blade also has an inscription on it that I can’t translate.  There are collectors out there that can perhaps read inscriptions (takes a better command of the Japanese language than I have).

This fine kogatana comes nicely mounted in shira-saya.

StCroixBlades.com pays cash for Japanese samurai swords, sword fittings, tsubas, menuki, fuchi/kashira, yari, armor, and entire collections.  You can reach us at 715-557-1688.

1 rare motif antique Japanese kozuka handle available.  This kozuka handle is several centuries old.  This fine kozuka/side knife handle would make an important addition to any collection.

This kozuka measures 3 7/8″ (9.8cm) by 11/16″ wide (1.7cm). 

1 hard-to-find WW2 Japanese Army Field Grade/Colonel’s sword belt.  This fine Colonel’s belt would make an important addition to any collection.

This fine WW2 Japanese Colonel sword belt is made of black leather and red felt.  The buckle is gilted in gold.

Have a collection of old Samurai arrow points?  Contact us at 715-557-1688 to get an offer on your collection. 

1 antique Japanese samurai arrow point available.  This is a rare form for a Japanese arrow head.  This desirable Japanese yanone/arrowhead would make a fine addition to any collection.

The ancient 17th-18th century Japanese yajiri/arrowpoint would have been used by true Samurai.  This large arrowpoint measures 9 1/4″ (23.5 cm), including the tang.  The point itself measures 2 1/16″ (5.2 cm) by 1 5/16″ wide (3.3 cm).

The hamon/temper line is visible along both blade edges. 

The tang/nakago is marked with a number ‘X124’.  I have seen this very style of marking before.  This point was either in a museum, or was in a known collection–perhaps the Compton collection? 

1 antique World War II Imperial Japanese Navy Samurai Officer’s gendai kai-gunto sword.  This World War II Japanese Naval Officer’s sword, with its premium sharkskin saya, would make an important addition to any collection.

This sword was traditionally-made.  Note the nie crystals in the blade photos.  There is no arsenal mark on the nakago.  This sword is unsigned.  The blade measures 23 3/8″ (59.4 cm) from blade tip to the notch in the blade spine. 

All fittings have matching assembly numbers–the number stamped on each is ‘9’.

1 antique World War II Japanese Army Samurai Officer’s gendai shin-gunto sword.  This sword was made by Kaneyoshi.  This fine World War II Japanese Army Officer’s katana would make an important addition to any collection.

This sword has the rare hot stamp indicating the blade was made with a ‘new’ method of construction–the Kobuse method of construction. 

According to page 65 of Slough’s book, this stamp reads ‘Jitsu yo shinan toroku, Dai nichi ichi roku go ku go, Hotetsu tanren toin’.  This translates in English to “Registration of new utility design, Item number ______, Wrapped steel (Kobuse method of construction) forged sword-stamp“. 

This sword was signed by Kaneyoshi.  This sword has a desirable wavy temper line. 

The tsuba is Heianjo from the 1600’s A.D. 

The blade measures 26 3/16″ (66.5 cm) from blade tip to notch in the blade spine. 

1 antique 18th-19th Century Japanese Samurai kozuka.  This ultra fine antique side knife handle is exceptional. 

The inscription reads Nihon Kaikoku Saigoku Junrei (Traveling in Japan pilgrimage Saigoku [in Kumamoto]. 

This kozuka measures 3 3/16″ long (9.7 cm) by 9/16″ (1.4 cm) wide. 

St. Croix Blades purchases Estates of Japanese swords, arrow points, armor, etc.  Consignment of Estate items is also welcomed. 

1 antique Japanese samurai arrow point available.  This arrow point was made to look like a yari.  This is a rare form for a Japanese arrow head.  This desirable Japanese yanone/arrowhead would make a fine addition to any collection.

The ancient 17th-18th century Japanese yajiri/arrowpoint would have been used by true Samurai.  This arrowpoint measures 9″ (22.9 cm), including the tang.  The point itself measures 1 5/8″ (4.1 cm) by 1 1/8″ wide (2.9 cm).

The tang/nakago is marked with a number ‘X155’.  I have seen this very style of marking before.  This point was either in a museum, or was in a known collection.