TUES 12-24 JAPANESE ARMY OFFICERS SHINGUNTO SWORD, WITH SURRENDER TAG, 27 INCH ANCESTRAL BLADE & RARE DOUBLE MONS!

This is a very interesting Japanese Army Officers Shin gunto Sword Still with the actual Surrender tag.  The very unusual thing about this sword is that there is a family crest known as a Mon, mounted onto both of the regulation menuki on the sides of the handle.  In almost all cases there is only one mon and it would be mounted on the top of the end of the grip, so this configuration is extremely unusual.    The sword blade is very old and dates from no later than the late 1700’s.  It is in decent polish with a very elaborate temper line and is 27 inches in length.  This is mounted in  military pattern fittings that have seen a considerable amount of use, so it was carried in the field throughout the war.  To the Japanese Army officer a Sword was a sacred symbol that conveyed high social status.  This was a family heirloom that was re-purposed into the regulation Army Officers Shin Gunto Sword and would have certainly had great sentimental value to the Japanese Army officer who carried it as a badge of rank.  The Japanese Military Officers “Samurai” sword was the most prized war trophy of the Pacific War and it was an iconic symbol of the Japanese ethos of Warfare.