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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.
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    Major Types​

    1. ​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).
    2. ​Type 98 (1938)​​: Simplified single-ring scabbard for fieldwork; removed gilt decorations, added removable dust cap on hilt
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    3. ​Type 3 (1943)​​: Wartime economy model with iron scabbard; eliminated sarute (knuckle guard), reinforced structure with two mekugi (pins); late versions used wooden scabbards.
    4. ​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.
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