I bought this many years ago for $100. It was the first sword I ever bought. The grip is ray skin and the scabbard appears to be lacquered snake skin. At one time it must have been gilded but some has worn off. The blade is plated.

I would like to know what it is. Is it Common? Who would have worn it? Any worth?

Thank you

other

blade

grip 1

grip2

grip3

grip4

grip5

snakeskin ???

scabbard 1

scabbard 2

hi,,,this probably a ww ii era japanese naval officers sword,,,looks to be in nice shape with some fading to some of the gilted fittings,,,i would venture a guess of $350.00 to maybe a high of $700.00 if in mint condition,,,i believe these are somewhat common,,,

I believe the covering on the scabbard is shark skin.Best wishes Geoff.P.S.Dont try to clean the fittings with Brasso it will wipe the gilding right off!

Apparently a Kyu-Gunto Navy Officer sword (saber) Russo-Japanese style mounts.
Here some more info:

http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~t-ohmura/gunto_093.htm

http://www.geocities.com/alchemyst/military.htm

Excellent. Those links helped Walter.

The last is more in line with what I have. It is not a leather scabbard. As we can see from the pictures there is a skin on the wood.

The blade is not hand forged. Geoff, no way will I clean it, I have never done anything more than wipe it with a cloth.

It is a very fine item with lots of work in the fittings. Thank you very much for the info.

Frank