WW2 Ikeda Yasumitsu (Yasukuni Shrine) Shin Gunto (sold)

A Yasukuni Shrine high ranking Japanese army officer's WW2 shin gunto by Ikeda Yasumitsu.

Yes, there are a good number of reproduction Yasukuni Shrine blades on the market, but this one made by Ikeda Yasumitsu is clearly authentic as it came to me in its original WW2 military mounts, complete with senior officer's (major's or colonel's) sword tassel / knot and family mon. As you can see, the tsuka silk bindings have broken in places and come loose, plus the menuki is missing; I would normally have these replaced but, given the next owner might prefer to do this themselves / keep the original bindings, while others may only be interested in the blade (the shin gunto furniture merely authenticating the blade), I have left it as is. As you can also see, the shin gunto comes with a full set of authentic seppa (all marked "1") and tsuba.

The hatawrai (sword blade length) is just over 26 inches long. The blade is in overall very good order and original polish. Some small nicks, some other marks, some sheathing marks, some surface scratching; nothing serious. The bulbous end of the retaining spring clip is missing and the koiguchi is slightly damaged, so it is clear someone tried / managed to pull the sword out of the tsuba without using the release button at one time. Irrespective, a very good blade together with good shin gunto furniture makes this a very desirable item. Additional / full sized images available upon request. My item reference number is 534.