SOLD Japanese 1944 Late War Army Officer Sword (Damaged Tip) . SJ344

WW2 Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) 1944 Late War Officer Sword (Shin-gunto). Blade is damaged condition (fatal flaw) with broken tip and big chips near blade tip and has a straight basic harmon (temper line). Two-hole nakago (tang) is signed on both sides of tang. The blade habaki (blade collar) is single piece basic copper type with thin finish/plating on top. The sword has the late war basic iron tsuba (hand guard). The military-style hilt (tsuka) is the typical officer type, it is constructed of a wood base with the traditional 3 cherry blossoms menuki, with handle dark brown lacquered wrap. The double locking buttons still works decently. Only has one grip screw left, other screw is missing and has wooden peg instead. The wooden core scabbard (saya) is in decent condition (slight crack starting near scabbard throat) and has a nice rough textured paint, bottom metal fitting on scabbard appears to be slighly loose. Good condition blacken iron fittings. The blade is approximately 25 1/2 inches in length counting the habaki. Overall, signed M-1944 late WW2 Army officer sword, decent fittings, however, damaged blade with broken tip and large chip.   Additional Notes: The late-war 1944 Japanese Army officer sword, known as the Shin-Guntō, was introduced toward the end of WW2. Due to material shortages, these swords featured blackened iron fittings instead of brass, which was needed for the war effort. The design retained traditional elements but was simplified for mass production. The late-war models had plain blackened brass cherry blossom menuki (grip decorations) and a steel kashira (end cap). These swords were still functional but lacked some of the craftsmanship of earlier models.   See below in the Description area for a short video.   See Additional Information for shipping dimensions.