Home / Shin Gunto - 新軍刀

Shin Gunto - 新軍刀

Shin Gunto (新軍刀, "New Military Sword") was the standard-issue officer's sword for the Imperial Japanese Army from 1934 to 1945. It replaced the Western-style Kyu Gunto, reviving samurai aesthetics in response to militarist nationalism.

Key features included a ray-skin-wrapped hilt (same), lacquered scabbard, circular handguard (tsuba), and a two-handed grip optimized for slashing. Officers privately sourced blades, leading to extreme quality variations—generals might use machine-made blades while lieutenants mounted ancestral hand-forged nihonto. As a symbol of weaponized bushido, Shin Gunto was discontinued after Japan’s surrender and is now a focal point for militaria collections.

Filter

Sort by

2 Products

Sort by

12% OFF

Shin Gunto Type 95 | Damascus steel Clay-tempered | Leather Sheath | Hollow out Copper Gilded Glided silver | Hand sharpened | High performance | Razor sharp | Battle-ready | Full-tang

$ 1,099.00 $ 1,259.00

Save $ 160.00
7% OFF

HY26| Type 98 shin guntō | shin gunto | Damascus steel | Clay-tempered | Real Hamon | Brown | Battle-Ready ｜Full-tang ｜Spartan Blades Club | CHEN'S SWORDS 1892

$ 1,389.00 $ 1,499.00

Save $ 110.00

Major Types

Type 94 (1934): Dual hanging rings for ceremonial/combat use; ornate fittings with gilt tsuba and colored silk cords (gold/red/blue for general/field/lieutenant ranks).
Type 98 (1938): Simplified single-ring scabbard for fieldwork; removed gilt decorations, added removable dust cap on hilt

5

7

.
Type 3 (1943): Wartime economy model with iron scabbard; eliminated sarute (knuckle guard), reinforced structure with two mekugi (pins); late versions used wooden scabbards.
Navy Officer Shin Gunto (1937): Independent from Army designs; retained Western guards but allowed traditional blades; scabbards featured black leather or ray-skin wraps with complex hanging mechanisms.

BACK