Reject Modernity; Embrace Tradition: The Type 95 Shin Gunto

"Swords of the Emperor" still available for discounted preorder - get your copy today!
www.headstampp...
When Japan opened up to the outside world and began to industrialize in the late 1800s, it instituted major military reforms. In place of the samurai tradition, the new Japanese Imperial armed forces emulated the major European powers - France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. One element of this was the replacement of traditional swords with European styles for officers and civil officials.
These swords remained until the mid 1930s, when a wave of nationalist sentiment ran through Japanese society. In 1934, a new model of officer's sword was adopted, which took the style of a traditional katana. A similar (but less fancy) model was adopted in 1935 for non-commissioned officers. These were the Type 34 and Type 35 respectively, and they are some of the most common Japanese swords in the United States, as many were brought back as souvenirs by American soldiers.
Today we are looking at my Type 95, using Headstamp's upcoming book "Swords of the Emperor" as a guide.
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle 36270
Tucson, AZ 85740

[@MichaelMiller-xj1ti]

It doesn't jam and never runs out of bullets, and what it lacks in range it makes up for in style.

[@IncredibleMD]

"What can a sword do that a gun can't?" "Parry."

[@skeltonslay8er781]

@@IncredibleMD “parry this you filthy casual”

[@LolTollhurst]

On the other hand it cracks it breaks and it doesn't cut well. Swings and roundabouts

[@ajm5007]

@@IncredibleMD Anyone who's had bayonet training knows you can parry with a gun.

[@SwissTHX11384EB]

That sounds like an Ahoy quote.

[@AngriestPeanut]

Really liking the idea of reviewing other antique non-firearms

[@hokuhikene]

It's called forgotten weapons not forgotten firearms so it fits the bill^^

[@HailHydra27]

@@hokuhikene "today we're going to be taking a look at this trebuchet"

[@dom4591]

@@hokuhikene indeed

[@mbb6740]

@@HailHydra27 I would watch!

[@blip_bloop]

I think a forgotten weapons style program about laboratory equipment would be neat

[@ProjectThunderclaw]

"What was the real point of giving swords to every sargeant in the army?" It doesn't come up much with shooty armies, but squad leaders do get an extra attack in close combat.

[@zxggwrt]

I guess it's rank hath its privileges. Plus, if you've ever seen a sailor in his dress whites with a sword it's undeniably cool.

[@KillerAngelM40A3]

Yeah, can't forget that extra S3 attack. Would this "count as" a chainsword or powersword?

[@PrimordialNightmare]

never underestimate a swords usefullness as a pointing stick.

[@GrassSaint33]

well when you have millions of civilians to kill, you can't waste a bullet on each one right?

[@jeramyneeley3351]

See I at least arm my Sargent with power swords.

[@Niinsa62]

The Swedish police used to have sabers, up until the early sixties I think. I heard from a friend's father who was a police officer back then, that it was kind of useful. It looked impressive, and if you felt threatened enough to pull it out of its scabbard, the sound of it being pulled out made the bad guys step back.

[@praevasc4299]

Hungarian mounted police still have them, or at least had them in 2006 when they used them against rioters.

[@ltchugacast131]

“STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW! YOU HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST SWEDEN AND HER PEOPLE”

[@shadyone6620]

That'd do in countries where civilians don't own firearms. But imagine some US cop carrying a sword...

[@ghoulbuster1]

Deflect the bullets with the sword.

[@ChemySh]

I remember a legendary reddit story about a Nordic madlad who emigrated to the States, he often defended people being mugged/mobbed in the ghetto area he lived in with his medieval saber, which translates to a lot of court hearings trying to determine his mental sanity. Last I heard he was cleared of all charges due to testimonies from the people he saved, and he was on his way to get his green card

[@brandonearly267]

My Great Uncle was a Marine in WW2 and fought in Saipan. He had jumped into a ditch when a grenade went off sending shrapnel all over the one side of his body that was exposed. He managed to pull out his pistol and kill a Japanese Officer that was charging towards him with a samurai sword. The sword must have been a nice ancestral version because my Grandma told me it was wrapped in eel skin, which was probably Manta ray skin as you stated in the video. My Great Uncles kids sold the sword off years ago. Up until the day my Great uncle passed on to the next life, he had a little glass jar above his medicine cabinet that he would collect the shrapnel pieces that would get pushed out of his body as the years went by. Unfortunately, I never had the privilege to meet him.

[@praevasc4299]

I can imagine that a very small number of military kills were achieved with swords, especially in trenchfighting, like in your example if your great uncle had been slower or if his pistol jammed, he likely would have been killed by that sword.

[@BestKCL]

I never understood people who sell or throw out stuff like that... WTF IS WRONG WITH THEM! But seriously, I hear stories like that far too often. Once again, I just can't fathom what goes through their heads.

[@borismuller86]

Honestly, my great-grandfather earned a load of WWII medals (including a George Cross) and said he wished he’d sold them. Instead, they all got stolen and replaced with fakes. He said he didn’t really like what the medals represented, but he would have liked to have gotten some money for them to spoil his kids with.

[@johnnydjiurkopff]

@@borismuller86 sounds like he was a wise man, even for his age.

[@212th]

@@praevasc4299 Banzai chargers and Infiltration squads operated at night so it did happen more often than. You think

[@jorenbosmans8065]

One of the weird stories I've heard (can't verify), is that when Japan surrendered, all of the swords had to be turned in. GI's would grab the swords as souvenirs and bring them to the US. This was not a big deal for these factory made swords, but appearantly a lot of antique ones were also taken and now they might lay in someone's attic collecting dust.

[@daviddestefano5044]

true my father was a young US soldier stationed at Yokosuka base right after Japan surrendered.....they were given the choice of a sword or a rifle as a souvenir.....he chose the sword (it is a short ancestral sword in wood "sleeping case") I still have it. I always asked why not take the rifle and his answer "didn't want to carry it".

[@Nickname-hier-einfuegen]

It's not impossible that some officers had really old swords, but the vast majority of Japanese swords was just mass produced since the late 19th century. And especially these "souvenir swords" were often very cheap and mass produced junk. Not just after WW2, but also dating back to the 1880s, when western people wanted to bring something "authentic" home after visiting Japan. And - to be clear - even the majority of old(er) Japanese swords isn't necessarily good in terms of material quality.

[@jorenbosmans8065]

@@daviddestefano5044 might be because I am European and we don't have much in the way of a firearms culture, but my preference would also be the sword. But not for the pragmatic reason your dad had. Correction: as someone pointed out, I overgeneralised when I said European. I should have said Belgian, appearantly we have multiple cultures that do have a firearm culture.

[@jorenbosmans8065]

@@Nickname-hier-einfuegen my comment was about the swords that were surrendered at the end of world war 2. But in general the modern ones are probably mass produced as you say. But this is with most "authentic" souvenir things you can buy, unless you buy it literally from a craftsman. I agree that most of the captured swords will just be mass produced. So the chance that somebody took home a real antique sword that was a family heirloom is very small. Still, If I was American and I'd find a Japanese sword my grandfather took as a souvenir from world War 2, I'd have it looked at. Even if it is just one of these mass-produced swords for the war, it is interesting to know.

[@CoreStarter]

@@Nickname-hier-einfuegen literally every blade made in Japan pre ww2 was junk, the iron quality in the ground under Japan is literally the worst in the world, the folded 1000 times stuff, was required to bring the iron and steel used up to mass manufacture quality of western contemporaries, Japan during the era of samurai was extremely isolationist and only really stopped being that way in the late 18th century therefore only had domestic junk iron ores to work with, plus their grasp on steel making was far behind the West, they made up this gap with extremely skills swordsmiths

[@HistoricalWeapons]

would love to see some non firearm projectile weapons from Ian

[@marcellusbrutus3346]

dude you are the forgotton weapons of archery

[@builder396]

@@dzejrid Forgotten catapults

[@all9472]

@@builder396 theres actually couple uchya (its a cylinder that shoots arrows) stone sling(braided rope Spanish used them to shoot explovies basically makes u into a human trebuchet) Borneo blowgun (spear blowgun) rungi (mace u can throw) rabbit stick (old ass boomerang like weapon) altalt (a leverage handle to shoot long spear like darts) chakram (hoop blade) like 500 different types of darts,tomahawk, spears,axes,knifes hand throwing wepons.....and im pretty sure theres more unique ones im just not aware of

[@HANKTHEDANKEST]

More ballista content pls Ian

[@comradekenobi6908]

He will need to review ROCKS

[@michaelmoorrees3585]

In my teens, one of my friend's father was an occupation troop in Japan, just after the war. He brought one of these home, as a souvenir. One of my other friend's sharpened it, and we pretty much played with it as a machete. The oleander bushes fell victim to this weapon.

[@Williestyle-RobotechxMacross-x]

The oleander bushes were a far better target than what be the usual civilian or prisoner that would be the target when an Imperial Japanese serviceman would use a sword like this against.

[@knkn6671]

I'm NOT tired of the gun reviews.....but this change is really welcome and a great idea.

[@Nachtdwaler]

I remember when I was around 15 years old, I was telling my grandfather that I really wanted a katana as I was fascinated by swords. He reacted really bluntly, almost angry. Later my father told me that in WW2, my grandfather, who was Indonesian btw, saw fellow prisoners get beheaded by Japanese officers in a prison camp. I'll never forget the feeling I got when I heard that.. Like some brutal wake up call to this world.

[@bryuhMan]

kakekmu tentara kah ( cuman nanya )

[@Nachtdwaler]

@@bryuhMan Sorry I can't read Indonesian!

[@bryuhMan]

@@Nachtdwaler ah sorry, Does your grandfather serve in the military ? ( just asking )

[@ilhamseptian1604]

@@Nachtdwaler your grandfather is Indonesian.....what about your parents?... I'm so confused right now...how the hell you don't know Indonesian? Just asking

[@Nachtdwaler]

@@ilhamseptian1604 My father was born in Surabaya, Java. But he moved to the Netherlands whe he was 9. He is the oldest of all his brothers and sisters. Only 3 out of 8 were still born on Java. My mother is from the Netherlands.

[@logi7671]

I saw a Pacific veteran account of fighting in the Pacific, he said that one Japanese soldier was trying to get behind the lines and was captured. The only thing that he had on him was a photograph. A photograph is not of his wife children or family but, of him executing someone by sword and, trying to get their head to fall into a basket before them. That was the most important thing in his life...

[@toytacambery9427]

They did that to civilians. Very honorable.

[@212th]

There's a video on KZbin with a marine veteran. He notes that a dead Japanese had a picture of him and his squad. In China, standing next to a cage filled with decapitated heads

[@jonathantan2469]

In Southeast Asia, the Japanese katana gained a negative reputation among the older generations, especially those who lived through the war. The Japanese would often use these to behead POWs, captured rebels, and civilians. An oft repeated urban legend claims that when a Japanese officer drew his sword in public, it could only be re-sheathed after it had spilt blood.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

@@jonathantan2469 that was the legend of when a samurai sword could be resheathed. And originally was meant to _prevent_ that kind of behaviour, i.e., a cautionary "do not draw the sword just to scare people or brag" tale - which OF COURSE was turned into "lookie, I drew my sword for funsies, now I gotta kill someone". Such is life.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

@@user-oc1tf7oz6y Uh, indeed you are 100% correct in the "Japanese steel was utter shit" (mad skills their smiths had, being able to make serviceable tools and weapons out of that crap, I tell you) and in the "sword was ceremonial and cherished and the very symbl of being above a commoner, but the prefered battlefield weapon was something else with the sword being just a backup" (hilariously, _exactly_ like a knight's sword), but you are actually wrong about something: for most of their story it was, in fact, forbidden by law for commoners to own or carry katanas. Originally it was just the prohibition of carrying the fanous "long/short" pairing (the very symbol of samuraihood), but later on the laws strengthened and the katana itself was forbidden. _Of course,_ that didn't stop commoners from carrying swords that technically were not katanas, or yakuza clans (which, hilariously, were the actual government of many a town during centuries due to deals with the shogunate in exchange of support) to openly carry actual katanas. Then carrying swords, period, was forbidden by law. And as you can bet, that marks the point in history when you start finding tantōs with a length of one inch less than the legal definition of sword. Japan: shitposting IRL since the Middle Ages. Edit, just in case someone actually reads again that wall of text🙂: And the latter thing of the post is why the word tantō used to mean a short sword and now means a knife, to the desperation of translators worldwide. Never change, Japan.

[@PiYodTong]

Just when I thought this channel couldn't get cooler!

[@666toysoldier]

About 15 years ago I acquired the sad remains of a shin-gunto sword, just blade and sheath, at the local flea market. The two had rusted together and been driven apart. I sent a copy of the glyphs to my Japanese daughter-in-law, who provided the following translation: Shou Wa (emperor's name), Kano Tomi (16, with the emperor's name, 1941), Haru (spring), Kou a i ssin (name of sword), Man Tetsu (name of company, "South Manchuria Railway"), Saku no (made of). She provided links to internet articles about this manufacturer. When China conquered Manchuria, they found that traditional swords were brittle in the extreme cold. They also gained access to high-quality iron ore. Using that, they developed a process of putting a mild steel core in a high-carbon tube, then forging a blade. Performance tests proved it to function as well as the finest hand-forged blades. Production was begun, with output reaching 400 blades per month. Modern metallurgy and manufacturing processes produced the finest military sword adopted by a nation---when swords had been an anachronism for a half-century. They were used to behead many American, English, Australian, Chinese, and Indian POWs.

[@ptonpc]

I've seen a photograph purporting to show two Japanese officers who had been in a competition to behead the most Chinese civilians in a day. The two men are smiling at the camera, holding their swords as if they were about to go fishing.

[@666toysoldier]

@@bravesniper2174 Yep.

[@MrCarGuy]

"Kanotomi" meant the 18th year of the sexagenary cycle

[@b.santos8804]

Thanks! Very fascinating.

[@ghoulbuster1]

@@ptonpc Absolute Chads

[@Blitzkrieg-1941-]

In my opinion it has a morale boosting effect when drawn. You'd ether realize you wanted to be brave or at the very least you'd be like "this man is nuts, I can't let him just die, I gotta fight with him." So yes it wouldn't be the most effective in combat but for morale I think it would be VERY important especially how japan was back then.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

The exact same thing than a British sergeant bellowing "FIX BAYONETS!"

[@zaholykrusedar1459]

Yeah, that if, the enemy's infantry use mostly bolt-action rilfes Sadly, American adopted semi-automatic for infantry's standard firearm 💀

[@notfeedynotlazy]

@@zaholykrusedar1459 and that relates to the above exactly how? (protip: the last time a British sergeant uttered that order in total seriousness, BOTH sides were using fully automatic assault rifles - and it worked)

[@zaholykrusedar1459]

@@notfeedynotlazy ok, before i explain my point, i want you to tell me which battle are you talking about, please?

[@keerf255]

@@zaholykrusedar1459 one in Afghanistan I believe. Look up the "last bayonet charge" since up until now that's what it was.

[@bayoh777]

It always gives me a pang of sadness when I remember that my grandfather on my Japanese side (I'm Japanese-American) had to hand in the family's sword. It and a scroll that traced back our family tree were the heirlooms passed down and the sword was hundreds of years old. My father tried many years to try and track down the sword, but it was more than likely tossed into the Pacific instead of making it's way to a museum, or at the very least, someone's home.

[@DeltaElite121]

My dad bought one of these cut down officer swords.. still insanely sharp to this day. One of my goals was to have the blade inspected and tsuka translated so I can return it to the originating family when I eventually receive it from him.

[@andrewdonovan219]

That is sad. I wonder why he didn't keep it and hide it like so many others did.

[@karrotakun3581]

@@andrewdonovan219 Like many other Japanese people at the time, especially military, he probably felt immense shame for losing the war and decided he wasn't worthy of carrying it anymore. Can't say for sure though.

[@bayoh777]

@@andrewdonovan219 He was the only officer on the tiny island he was stationed on that spoke English. He managed to negotiate the surrender on their behalf and I believe he handed it over to whoever the commanding officer was in an impromptu ceremony. I honestly wish I knew more about it, but both he and my father have passed. I can only really go on what I remember from them talking of it in my childhood. I've tried learning more about it, but I couldn't find anything as it was one of many inconsequential islands with only like a dozen or so soldiers on it that US forces literally skipped by cause it wasn't worth fighting over. In an equally sad event, he had actually hand written out an autobiography of his time during WW2 and of when he managed the surrender, but... the publishing house he handed over his manuscript to ended up being a scam and it was lost when they just up and disappeared.

[@andrewdonovan219]

@@bayoh777 this is terrible, even his story was taken from him.

[@Hobbie375]

I recently inherited a Type 95 sword from my grandfather who picked it up in Korea when his division disarmed the local Japanese garrison. I even have the GI take back paperwork authorizing it’s entry to the US. Fantastic timing on this video. Now to preorder the book.

[@RageUnchained]

That’s awesome, thanks for sharing

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

I was actually going to commission a real, no BS tradional-made Shinken (Katana) for $6500 back in '03, but dress the tang as a US cavalry saber and make it a family/service heirloom to be passed down. My choice was that or a motorcycle. I cheesed out and got the motorcycle. I kinda wish I had just commissioned the sword, it would have broken down a lot less than the Sportster and saved me more in the long term. And if you're going to kill yourself with it, at least you'll go with more style.

[@Hobbie375]

@@Jason-fm4my I'm unaware of the exact garrison his brigade disarmed.

[@elvenisar]

as a Korean, I give big thanks to your grandfather.

[@Hellston20a]

@@elvenisar That's it. Acknowledge that Japanese swords are cool as f*ck, but give thanks to the people that kicked Japan's ass.

[@cobytang]

Ian: "Some veteran's kids or grandkids probably used this sword to do some good guy bad guy rough play with this, as you can see it's quite roughed up." Also Ian: "So my dad got this from a veteran brought back" Wait, the timing is a bit too perfect......

[@dbmail545]

I don't think Ian's dad would have let him chop weeds in the backyard with this, if that is what you are implying. And I do believe that he would have 'fessed up if he had.

[@johnbreitmeier3268]

@@dbmail545 Perhaps he kinda just did fess up and maybe his dad was not asked.

[@atomic_wait]

@@johnbreitmeier3268 Ian's own George Washington cherry tree myth is born...

[@edi9892]

@@dbmail545 I've heard enough stories of soldiers murdering civilians and giving jewelry and toys of the victims to their own family. That's a little creepy, if you ask me...

[@TheEvertw]

So, Ian is confessing to having hit his wee brother with this sword?

[@Kameth]

"It's been in my rifle collection- -and let me tell you it's a nightmare. While it has a striking slimline design, I've never managed to get it to dry fire, let alone actual fire as I just cannot find the right ammo that fits and has a terrible barrel that is surprisingly sharp - so much so you could lose your fingers when you grip it. Honestly, this is why I like French rifles, they're just so much more reliable."

[@user-mj7qw6xo1u]

You posted grinch on main

[@gagekieffer772]

@@user-mj7qw6xo1u hello yes what the hell does this mean?

[@effdiffeyeno171]

I read all of that in his voice! 🤣

[@dannycork423]

@@gagekieffer772 I'm assuming it's a discord reference, although I dont know what grinch means

[@Kameth]

@@gagekieffer772 I'm assuming an auto-correct of 'cringe'

[@bobhunt5820]

Ian crushes it in every video. It's a treat to see someone that good at his job. Extremely well researched and perfect info delivery. Also very expertise at assembly and disassembly of any weapon.

[@carlsdrumshop]

My wife’s grandfather had one of these. Our grandfathers fought on opposite sides of WWII and I think that is fascinating.

[@delinquenter]

Your wife's origin is japanese and yours is american?

[@wastintime22]

Ian, it’s funny I’m at work, in Japan, while watching this and I’m more of a sword guy than a gun guy. I’ve actually lived in Japan, have been practicing Kendo and Iado since I was a kid, and own a few swords. This was a really cool and unexpected video. While I’m personally much more interested in the older Japanese swords, I may have to pick up a copy of swords of the emperor. It’s a neat endeavor to branch out on.

[@Fish-ub3wn]

Iaido, You meant, fellow swordsman?

[@projektkobra2247]

I lived in Osaka for 8 years..and that place stole my heart...I wish I never came "home"

[@thomasdawe1837]

@@projektkobra2247 5 years in Osaka for me. If it were not for the impossibility to assimilate culturally, even with fluent Japanese, I would've stayed.

[@Bagledog5000]

@@thomasdawe1837 Is it actually necessary to assimilate? I'm here going on ten years and while I may never be assimilated into the culture, that's not such a bad thing at the end of the day. I mean my in laws, coworkers and friends accept me and I don't really need much more than that. Besides that, the trains run on time and the food and healthcare are better here.

[@FoxtrotFleet]

@@Bagledog5000 Hey if you're not bothering anybody and you're comfortable I think you're good.

[@kfeltenberger]

My father commanded a PT boat in the South Pacific during WW2 and I remember him telling me stories of dumping barrels of swords and guns off the boat after they shot up landing barges. Some they kept as trading goods, but most of them went over the side.

[@GazB85]

What a waste, they could have at least recycled the metal.

[@kfeltenberger]

@@GazB85 Nah, it would take too much to get them back to where they could be recycled.

[@calebsmith6202]

What a waste, they could have at least brought them over so I can have Japanese surplus

[@CircaSriYak]

“I lost all my katanas in a boating accident.”

[@samy7013]

@@CircaSriYak : Seriously underrated comment! 🤣😂😁👍

[@nicolopez4963]

I know it’s a fairly well known book but, Eugene sledge that wrote with the old breed on Peleliu and Okinawa. In interviews described how on might think it was silly to have a sword in battle but that he had multiple buddies killed at night in fox their holes by sword, bayonet, and knife. Saying he personally saw a good friends right arm amputated by a Japanese officer.

[@pieceofschmidtgamer]

It's great to see you do something like this to remind people that your channel name is Forgotten *_Weapons_* not Forgotten Firearms. On another note, it's really interesting to see something that really represents the perversion of traditional Bushido in the wider Imperial Japanese society within a single object.

[@pieceofschmidtgamer]

@@nickaschenbecker9882 There's also the fact that traditional Bushido called for showing compassion towards a defeated enemy. I think we can all see how the Imperial Japanese treated that little tidbit.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

@@pieceofschmidtgamer Very true. Even the very idea of Bushido as we know it was not the original stuff, but the late XIX - very early XX century romantized retelling of it - which is what was "sold" to soldiers and civilians alike, etc. It was a very deliberate use of traditional bushido as a propaganda tool, and I agree with the original poster that this kind of swords are, amusingly, the single object that bests represents such just by its very existence.

[@allengordon6929]

Then true bushido would be represented by the bow. It was the samurai's original weapon. Shinto doesn't consider swords innately holy, but they do consider bows innately holy.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

@@allengordon6929 Ah, a man of culture...

[@hairymcnipples]

The *word* Bushido was invented in, I believe, the 19th century by someone who never fought a battle in their life. Samurai weren't generous ascetics, like western knights they were little better than bandits seizing whatever they could from the peasantry. "Bushido" and similar western concepts exist because more modern descendents of these real pieces of shit wanted to romanticise their past, trying to pass off their ancestors as truly noble. It's almost entirely bunkum.

[@metatron7405]

Thanks

[@Bacteriophagebs]

The process used for the blades was actually pretty clever. The Japanese wanted the soft core/hard blade style of traditional katanas but without the smithing or expensive tooling, so a guy figured out how to use railroad manufacturing equipment to stick soft steel inside hard steel, then smash it into shape in very large quantities.

[@dreadnought8363]

I'd love to read up on this, do you by chance have some material regarding it?

[@engineeredlifeform]

Yeah, 'billet steel' isn't such a bad thing. The whole sandwiching, welding, folding and differential hardening was done because the raw material wasn't great. I have a book on Japanese Swords somewhere that has an entire section giving names to flaws that arise due to the traditional forging process. Swords could be identified by, or earned names because of these flaws. Billet steel might not be as romantic, but it's pretty consistent.

[@jakekaywell5972]

I find these blades endlessly fascinating from an industrial design perspective. Taking what was once a highly rarefied status symbol and making it suitable for mass-production.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@dreadnought8363 the Man At Arms YT channel has an episode where they show how it was done. Pretty slick setup, honestly, they took a chunk of hard round stock and machined a hole in the center, then turned a chunk of soft steel round and just a tiny bit bigger than that hole. Put the soft steel into the freezer while the hard steel is heating up, and if you got the sizes right you can just drop the soft steel into the hole. Let the two come to room temperature before you reheat the block and forge weld them.

[@FoxtrotFleet]

@@dreadnought8363 Ian also has the new book he's selling but I'll second Man At Arms YT. Great stuff.

[@jaceelliott6317]

Imagine being a Marine, armed with an M1 Garand and a 1911, the gold standards of modern combat weapons, going house to house in some village, clearing rooms, only to have a gray haired Japanese NCO explode out from behind a door screaming and swinging at you with one of these like a samurai. The oh shit factor involved cannot be overstated.

[@minuteman4199]

In his book "Quartered Safe Out Here". George MacDonald Frazier talks about fighting against hand to hand with Japanese soldiers armed with swords in Burma.

[@toytacambery9427]

Imagine being a civilian women or child at Nanking in 1937. Then, a bunch of people wielding these show up and r*p3 you and your family. Actually happened unlike your made up little fairy tale.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

For amusement value, the reason the European armies stopped using swords was NOT (as often mis-stated) their obsolescence as weapons; it was that in WWI they marked the wielder as a bullet magnet -err, officer. But swords are actually quite a dangerous thing to go against in close combat. In those weird, uncommon, anecdotal ocasions where a modern gunfight develops into a modern swordfight (like the aforementioned Burma), the "oh shit" factor _certainly_ can NOT be overstated.

[@thepoliticalgunnut8018]

Not to mention he would screaming TENNO HAIKA BANZAI!!!! at the top of his lungs.

[@tomaspabon2484]

Its especially jarring because you've gotten no training to defend against that. Knives and bayonets for sure but what the fuck do you do against a sword?

[@9SS94Cr]

According to some claims, Japanese went back to katana style swords for some practical reasons during the early stage of their invasion into China. As they engaged melee combat with the local polulace, they found out the western-style one handed saber had difficulties cut through the heavy winter clothing worn by the resistance force, so they specifically asked for two-handed designs when the army was commissioning for new sword designs. I really like shin gunto. They are literally the last generation of swords that were designed for actual combat.

[@Dorkyorcy]

Correct, experience in Manchuria proved the need for a two handed grip. Nationalism and the spirit of the samurai did the rest.

[@Liquid_Rigel]

actual combat against civilian resistance forces lmao

[@Insandom]

Makes sense, plus that there'd be close combat in China considering the heavily developed population centers, lots of buildings.

[@zaholykrusedar1459]

To be fair, one handed saber only be popular in the west when firearms were widely used, therefore western that time would rather wear good-protection armour or clothes that providing no protection but places to store bullets and gunpowder than thick-layers clothes Since most places in asian still doin medieval things, that's not a bad idea after all

[@Williestyle-RobotechxMacross-x]

Weather requested by Japanese soldiers invading Manchuria and China or because of nationalist and militaristic governments at home, swords like this and the officer's model killed far more civilians than any armed combatant ( Ally or "retreating" Japanese ).

[@Hashashin_Fidayin]

I have one #24497, its in really bad shape; covered with finger prints and gunk and covered with scrapes. All the lacquer is gone and is worn down to base. Thank you for sharing your example, its in much better condition!

[@GunnerAsch1]

Rebuild your sword. Colors and paints are readily available. Your sword has little value..so restore it as best you can. Like refinishing an old Win 94 beater.

[@then00brathalos]

Try to restore it/ find someone to restore it if you can. Im sure the sword is begging to feel shiny again

[@mtm101designs9]

Thanks!

[@ermosazorius4279]

I own a pilot's or tanker's variant or what's left of it. It came from a crash so the handle and wrap burned away, the scabbard was never found it still has a very large amount of the owners blood all over it. It very clearly used to be a family blade given the remaining fittings and the name of the smith being etched into the tang. Even blackened, blood stained and very slightly rusty it's still a beautiful blade.

[@matthewcaughey8898]

There’s a push in recent years to see ancestral blades returned to their owners. If you know someone who can read Japanese script they might be able to tell you which family the sword belonged to. If they’re still alive I’m positive that family will be grateful you returned a heirloom to them

[@Williestyle-RobotechxMacross-x]

Restore it, keep it, or give it a decent museum. Forget about returning a combat weapon to a nation that disavowed ever using it again because they dishonored the "military tradition".

[@Numbers225]

that’s metal asf

[@dsch0]

@@Williestyle-RobotechxMacross-x What about figuring out who it belonged to and then returning it to the family - smashed, deformed, and unusable?

[@kn2549]

Katanagari(sword hunting) was common during the occupation of Japan when allied soldiers went from house to house to collect swords as well as family antiques from civilians at gun point. My father’s side of family owned a katana that dates back from the 16th century but kept this hidden in their backyard when the American soldiers came. They also implemented anti-firearm laws for the civilians as part of the demilitarization process. Instead of giving up their katana, my grandfather’s family gave up their hunting rifles. Yes, civilian firearm laws were ALOT more loose and widely accepted in Imperial Japan than modern day.

[@hektonian]

I mean... it's "Forgotten Weapons" not "Forgotten Firearms", after all

[@FoxtrotFleet]

Is that what I'm watching? Damn, can anyone point me to Misremembered Armaments?

[@DrSabot-A]

@@FoxtrotFleet I dont know much about that, but maybe you're looking for Bygone Ordnances?

[@batteredskullsummit9854]

​@@FoxtrotFleettwo doors down from Unilaterally Recollected Tools for Hurting People

[@wandiriswan6116]

Maybe ancient artillery is who your looking for

[@cygneturesounds]

I think you are thinking of Mandela Munitions

[@jongrossardt7542]

Just a note - the Japanese were still producing handmade swords throughout the war also, the folded, polished, tempered types. My first katana was a Kinmichi signed 1943 manufactured one.

[@panoctic]

You mean a gendaito, funny enough arent some guntos today illegal un japan?

[@andrewdonovan219]

@@panoctic japan has a weapons law that among other things bans swords over a certain length. this would apply to all katana theoretically however there is an exception for swords made in the "traditional Japanese art" obviously factory mass produced swords from ww2 is not traditional Japanese art so they are illegal.

[@YamamotoKazuo]

These shin guntos were a few inches shorter than a katana for convenient single hand cuts because the imperial army sword training were heavy based on sabre fencing. Some officers didn't even know how to use the sword properly. It's also more curved compared to the katana.

[@bensigl3766]

My uncle had one in his "WW2 Japan" collection when i was growing up. One of my favorite things to look at. Also loved comparing his "last ditch" arisaka and bayonet to his pre-war versions. That blew my kind as a kid.

[@joed9849]

Can't wait to see this in the range!

[@shukterhousejive]

The spinner has met its match

[@948320z]

He did took it to a match! (Type 94 Nambu at the Backup Gun Match) He used the sword as the "backup" backup weapon... The sword worked batter than the nambu at that match lol

[@tankacebo9128]

I've got one of these. I also have a Navy sword, called a Kai-Gunto. that one is exceedingly rare. the funny thing about my Kai Gunto is that it was made at Toyokawa naval arsenal in July of 1945. they were absolutely just wasting resources on swords all the way up until the end. my grandfather was supposedly a peacekeeper after the war, and acquired it then. I only had a single picture of him, in combat dress. he also unfortunately committed suicide when my father was 5 years old, on account of what he saw 'over there'. I say "supposedly", because I don't think a peacekeeper after the war would suffer from such PTSD to do that, and the fact that he brought back a bunch of stuff, a helmet, a rifle, a flag, and the two swords. I never saw the flag, it disappeared in the 80s probably, and the helmet, my dad gave to his friend, and I got it back only a few years ago, although his friend had completely chromed the whole thing. my father probably destroyed or sold the rifle, he hated guns. I've still got the swords and helmet, along with a bunch of stuff from the other side of the family. I'm only 25, and even I played "good guy bad guy" with them when I was a kid.

[@jonathany1240]

I can imagine a number of things that could cause PTSD in that period, I mean, the fact he brought back arms like these makes me feel he didn’t exactly have a desk job

[@tankacebo9128]

@@jonathany1240 that's my thoughts exactly. we don't know much about him. the man was an Enigma. He did go to Yale, I've got his class ring. he was a very smart man, and his wife, my grandma was an Aerospace engineer and advanced mathematics teacher. I really wonder what he saw over there that would drive him to that. plus all the "booty" he brought back (as my late father so eloquently put it). everyone on that side of the family has passed, and as I was the only son, along with being basically adopted, I really didn't know much more than that. my father once suggested that he was stationed at Nagasaki. I've got a paper from the DOD saying he was there circa 1955. that still doesn't add up either. who knows? maybe he was an OSS agent. that would have been cool.

[@Dong_Harvey]

@@tankacebo9128 there was a lot of 'disciplining' carried out through the postwar period all the way into the 60s. Plenty of former soldiers and 'inspired' Yakuza were not happy with the American presence (for good reason too). Given that, and the tendency of Japanese police to turn their eyes away from authoritarian abuse of power (a lot of police do that, not just Japan).. It's never too surprising to hear of some abuses leading to 'procured material' leaving in the hands of civilians

[@vorynrosethorn903]

There was some pretty horrific sexual violence during the occupation and it happened on quite the scale, if he were to have encountered or had to deal with that then it would make sense for him to be deeply affected, especially as very few perpetrators were ever brought to justice.

[@Williestyle-RobotechxMacross-x]

Tank ,thank you for your story. Sad that swords like these were more likely to be used against civilians or unarmed prisoners than in all but the most desperate of battles against Allied soldiers.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

For amusement value, since the _real_ purpose of the folding was to homogenize the low or mixed quality steel that medieval Japanese swordsmiths had to work with into an useable, homogenous-quality billet for forging, some of those guntos, made industrially with modern-produced steel, are _actually better_ blades than _some_ of the old, traditional, fancy blades were. (Angry comments of weebs failing to realize that "some" does NOT mean, nor imply, "all", in 3, 2, 1...)

[@CraftyChicken91]

I'm not surprised. Plus these got a modern heat treat.

[@Lupin-Koolwood]

This channel just gets cooler and more fascinating all the time!

[@tomiokaazure2796]

i appreciates this channel whenever they discuss a Sword especially a Japanese Swords

[@StopItRyan]

Ian actually nailed the Japanese pronunciations, just some minor accent differences but that's like tomato versus tomAto.

[@astarothk2273]

when you recognise "arms" isnt limited to pew pews, but cannons, swords, spears, that table, and blades capable of cutting ships in half and split causality itself

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

Ian, as amazing as this may sound, there was quite a bit of swordplay (on both sides) in the Philippines during WW2. Besides the Japanese, local Philipino partisans were equipped with bolo swords, barongs, kampilans and other styles of indigenous swords. The Philippines is as much of a sword culture as Japan. On top of this, even US Army troops from the 1st and 2nd Filipino Regements, formed outside of Los Angeles, CA, were equiped and trained in the use of bolo swords made and donated by the LA area Filipino community. If you read the memoir of Sergeant Leo Giron, published in the 1970's by the decorated US veteran, he describes the tactics and motivation behind these clashes. In short, in dense jungles, main battle rifles like the Garand were a liability due to the low visibility and the potential for friendly fire. Pistols, shotguns, submachine guns and bolo swords were the weapons of choice.

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

Here is a 1943 Newsreel of the 2nd Filipino Regiment. At the end of the video you will see them being issued their bolo swords. The two Regiments requested, and were allowed to undergo short sword training in lieu of the standard US Army bayonet training: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f57UZ4t6r8-Gf9E

[@zxggwrt]

They must have been some fierce, motivated fighters!

[@Khan.WrathOf]

The bolo is a mean tool. It's not even really a sword. More like if a bowie knife and a hatchet had a baby. All the weight is in the blade so it's ability to chop dense material requires little effort outside of maintaining blade alignment with the target.

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

@@Khan.WrathOf Some bolos are knives, some are utilitarian tools (machetes), and some are swords. It all depends on the length, weight and most importantly, the grind on the blade. Some grinds are optimized for cutting vegetation, others for flesh and some take a middle of the road approach. As for balance, there are MANY different styles of bolo blades. Point of balance will differ from style to style. If you watch the newsreel, notice the length of the blades, relative to the height and body size of the Soldiers. Most of those men appear to be between 5'3 and 5'8. For people of their size, those are definitely short swords.

[@sanchezroman8995]

@@zxggwrt Ferdinand Magellan, the explorer, met his demise on These fierce , sword wielding Filipino ancient warriors in 1521 a.d. He was literally chopped up.. recorded by his expedition chronicler who managed to escape the carnage.. leaving Magellan's body behind.

[@KriminalKrampus]

there's something incredibly cool to me about mass producing what's essentially a ceremonial weapon

[@itamikarura8672]

I have been wanting a video about shingunto for a long time. Thank you!

[@KelvGaming]

Wanted to leave joke comment that there's no literal teardown being done, but after seeing Ian describing the entire sword like his usual firearm teardown, I am mighty impressed that I'll rescind that joke 😂

[@mannywilliams6409]

Well, the handle and guard can be removed.

[@Neeverseen]

They are meant to be taken apart. You just pop out the pin in the handle and pull it off.

[@vedolre]

Teardown parts: Screws, Suba, Blade,

[@d.pierce.6820]

there's no reason to take an NCO sword apart. There's nothing written on the sword tang, and you will likely never get it back together as tightly as original, so it will just rattle and be loose.

[@jtfoto1]

My father who fought in the Pacific with the Australian Army liberated one of these which I still own. It it similar but has a traditional sharkskin and bound handle held on by a peg. There is no blood groove and even to this day the blade is perfect and VERY sharp. I have been told that it is probably a type 98 model sword.

[@mabs9503]

Meiji Restoration is a very fascinating period in Japanese history. Thanks, Watsuki.

[@tripwire4727]

very thoughtful examination! wonderful work as always. looking forward to the book👍

[@vanargrand3199]

1. It's a sword from japan 2. It's from a historic war 3. It's a family heirloom already 4. It was a symbol of rank and status It's no lesser than any other pre-meiji restoration sword other than it's rushed manufacturing process. It's a bona-fide Samurai sword.

[@thesimarillion7738]

I don't have a type 95 sword - all the swords that I have collected over the years were hand forged and most of them signed by the smith who made them. I like to think that all the swords that I do have were carried by Warriors! Even the type 95 swords were carried into War! They all deserve respect!

[@TheSilvertrigger]

Yet it is illegal to own in Japan because it's not made the traditional way, sad because it's a great piece of history.

[@gnostic-wolf]

They made it illegal because of the quality? Is 20th century billet steel really that bad compared to traditional Japanese blades? I thought the whole reason they developed their technique was because they were working with crappy impure metal, where as the europeans could purify their metals so well that by the 16th century folding it over and over would be crazy and unnecessary.

[@alexturnbackthearmy1907]

@@gnostic-wolf More because it is a weapon. Traditional japanese swords have more of a cultural value, which is why you can own them. These swords arent considered culturally valuable (they should be by now tbh).

[@二コラス_カラス]

Just looking at it's material, this wouldn't be a samurai's sword. Akin to how a kazuuchi was a mass produced, lower quality, disposable "katana" this is merely a suitable imitation of the real thing. A samurai wasn't just a Japanese warrior, a samurai could be considered an elite warrior trained in every aspect of martial warfare. War was a way of life, hence bushi-do. A samurai carrying a machine-made or mass produced blade would be like a surgeon using a butter knife as opposed to a scalpel.

[@rzu1474]

I gotta say the idea a modern army still using swords just because of tradition gives me sci-fi vibes almost

[@mephistopheles-ud2td]

The US Military still uses swords, though for purely ceremonial purposes.

[@theoriginalmikaveli]

The "folded a million times" thing is largely a myth. In reality, folding more than 20-30 times or so was more common (which produces around 1 million layers...), as each time there is a risk of introducing pockets / impurities between layers - and any benefit is reduced.

[@GorgeousRandyFlamethrower-]

I remember reading somewhere that the large-ish number of foldings that Japanese swordsmiths put their blades through was not to make the resulting steel a better quality than what the cultures of Europe and Middle-east had. It was done because Japanese iron ore was (is?) on average of inferior quality compared to what Europe and Middle-east have. So maybe they had to fold *some* extra times to weed out the impurities, but not too many times so as to avoid pockets or impurities between layers? I'm not a smith or a metallurgist, so any confirmation regarding Japanese iron ore quality and the ways they had to take it into account in the forging process would be appreciated.

[@theoriginalmikaveli]

@@GorgeousRandyFlamethrower- from what I understand (and I'm no expert myself) the folding was also to distribute the carbon content equally. What surprised me, was to find out some sword makers often laminated the blades with different types of steel (in addition to the folding etc.).

[@Dong_Harvey]

@@theoriginalmikaveli yes, they were blending hard steel (high carbon, sharp but brittle, used in razors) and soft steel (lower carbon, not sharp but resilient, used in hammers). This offset their limited capacity for iron on the islands of Japan throughout their premodern history, which also effected the use of swords in combat, they primarily used archery not swordsmanship in battle Even after industrialization, they had a limited capacity to produce iron/steel products and subsequently relied on other metals and even carpentry to realize modern production until ultimately invading other countries and stealing their resources, thus stimulating their war machine further

[@notfeedynotlazy]

@@GorgeousRandyFlamethrower- In layman's termns (since you admit not being an expert), yes, that is more or less the situation. Is a simplification, but not TOO much of it. The Japanese even have a word (which I learned 30 years ago and forgot in my old age, gomen) for steel that has been folded too many times and is no longer good swordmaking material.

[@Alacrity23688]

You fold it 20 times and you'll have 2^20 layers, which is more than a million

[@d.pierce.6820]

Some more advise about Type 95 NCO swords: There are NO signatures or any other marks under the handle. The handle is not meant to be removed, and if you do, chances are the sword handle will not fit as tightly as before, and it will be loose and rattle.

[@dogwoodhillbilly]

This is only applicable to the version that Ian has, the Early War versions are actually built more like a real/historic Katana and can be field stripped.

[@d.pierce.6820]

@@dogwoodhillbilly nonsense.Why on earth would you take one apart?

[@dogwoodhillbilly]

@@d.pierce.6820 Nonsense? I own one of the Type 94 NCO Shin Guntos that are meant to be taken apart when necessary, the Type 94 version is built like a traditional Katana so it is meant to be taken apart and field stripped when needed. In case you still don't know what I am talking about, the one I own is the kind that has the forger's name underneath the handle, has a bamboo peg, has the Nagoya Arsenal mark under the handle as well.

[@DH-xw6jp]

@@dogwoodhillbilly what you aparrently have is one made with an ancestral blade, not a factory built one.

[@dogwoodhillbilly]

@@DH-xw6jp How is it ancestral when it has the Nagoya arsenal mark on the blade?

[@wrakowic]

Really good variation for the channel Ian, thanks.

[@1D991]

Love this channel, and I'd be all here for more sword/non-firearm reviews~

[@-Bile-]

The japanese were absolutely correct in their assessment of swords. The katana are really cool. Edit: The scabbard is in no way representative of the average traditional katana. The scabbard is much closer to french sabers, or the Kyu Gunto of early imperial japan.

[@code066funkinbird3]

Cool

[@michaeless882]

That is a wonderful heirloom, Ian, and you have the provenance which adds to its desirability. I can assure you the mass-produced Gunto were made of very high quality steel. I have an Arisaka bayonet and it is one of the most durable and tough blades one may find for mass production. I know this because my other Arisaka was used by my ex for everything from garden digging to chopping down shrubbery and it sustained very little damage except the blue was scratched off.

[@kovona]

Really depends, the late war examples were said to have been made from mild steel.

[@StopMoshin]

I'm so glad he called it a fuller and not a "blood groove" I think this actually sheds a light on another angle as to how the notion that Japanese Katana were better than European longswords came to be. So many of these made it into the US at about the same time wallhanger swords would've been getting popular. While these type 95s were cheap and made as a status symbol, they were still combat ready weapons while most European style "swords" in the US were movie replicas made from aluminum or soft steel so it's likely that many people got the impression that because the cheaply made Katana their grandpa brought home was better in every way then the shiny, elaborate movie prop they bought at a mall or convention thus Katana better.

[@StopMoshin]

@@vksasdgaming9472 Um... HEMA though?

[@Dorkyorcy]

Or a bohi to be precise...

[@michaelhughes3302]

Ian. This has been rather enjoyable and informed as per usual. Thank you.

[@georgebach9530]

Just pre-ordered this book and can't wait to get it! I have 3 WW2 Japanese Special Landing forces Katanas. Early, mid-war, and late war pattern. The early one came with original "bring back" papers from 1946 described as, "1 SABOR Japanese." I have been looking for a book like this to find out more about these Katanas. Thanks very much!

[@chubbycatfish4573]

"Damn guns! A knife never runs out of ammo!" - Razor

[@Dover78]

Oh man, I never knew how badly I wanted to see a colab between you and one of the Swordtubers. Matt from Schola Gladiatoria has done a lot of reviews of more “modern” military swords.

[@bigblockman11]

Skulgrim or shadoversity would be a great idea

[@Dover78]

@@bigblockman11 Skall would be fun since he likes guns, too.

[@bigblockman11]

@@Dover78 he does? He doesn't seems to show much, but than again maybe it's the regulations?

[@Dover78]

@@bigblockman11 Yeah, he hasn't done much gun content on his channel but it is there. Mostly 4+ years ago.

[@jackmambawitsin]

Thanks Ian! I inherited one of the short swords from my Mother. I was told it belonged to her Father who was a shop owner in Japan. He gave it to my Mother and Father after they got married after the Korean War. The one I have has a cloth wrapping and has a black wooden scarab. I would but the new book but unfortunate I also have a paper shortage, the green kind with numbers on it.

I love the way you talk about anything: calm and respectfully... I would love to hear you talk at least a little about archery even though I know it isn't your think... but hey: found you talking about a sword, so there is still chance 🙏

[@jasonsantos3037]

Interesting and Fascinating History about World War 2 era Japanese katana Sword.

[@carp0nastick]

I was left a sword by my Grandfather, that I always thought might have been a knock off or something. Now I know it's for real. Thanks Ian!

[@WyvernYT]

The Type 95 is an interesting model, as the real thing looks like a knock off.

[@skenzyme81]

Well, it is a weapon. So it fits the channel's name. I'm suddenly concerned how far this is going to go. Just kidding. Totally ready for it.

[@neozeonsolid]

My friend in Japan showed me his grandpas old type 98. Half of the blade was missing, it was chopped off after the surrender. But he still got to keep it.

[@brianrmc1963]

Great video. I am reminded of Stephen Hunter’s “The 47th Samurai.”

[@MoldyStir-Fry]

I love the way you say "A little dinky one", it's becoming one of my favorite phrases

[@leemon908]

Fun fact: whether left handed or right hand you always hold it right handed as the blades are actually slightly tapered to be right handed. Left hand on the bottom right hand up high.

[@Dovakhin94]

As far as I know samurai had to be right handed. There were probably left handed sword fighters back then but right handed was the norm every one hat to live by

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

10:48 - Not just Chinese. The same blades also ended the life of many innocent Filipino's... I am forever told about a church in the Philippines where a lot of Filipino's had gone to seek sanctuary from the Japanese soldiers, a lot of old people, women and children. Only for the solders to walk through the door, attempt to kill all the people inside then bayoneted them and cut them down with their swords (if they still had one) when their ammunition ran out and they needed to finish the job. The Japanese were in the process of losing control of the island to US forces and they wanted to do as much damage to the local natives before they withdrew.

[@CaptApple]

The Cherry Blossoms cast beneath the string wrapped handle were not just artistic embellishment. They were duplicating a brass or bronze ornament that was traditionally placed beneath the string wrap but over the shark/manta ray skin on the handle. They held some significance that presently escapes me. Possibly to their house or allegiance?

[@vorynrosethorn903]

Chrysanthemum with was a common motif in the army and navy regulation swords is the symbol of the Imperial house, if it was a cherry blossom then those are usually associated with the nation by the Japanese, a bit like how they think black eyes and black hair mark them out (it doesn't, it's literally the most common and widespread colours), when referring to the country it will inevitably be either with reference to being an eastern island or as the land of cherry blossoms.

[@CaptApple]

@@vorynrosethorn903 Chrysanthenum and Sakura. That's what I was looking for. Thank you. Didn't the various noble houses also have their own emblems that were used in this way?

[@junichiroyamashita]

@@CaptApple yes,it depended from the clan though

[@nankinink]

@@CaptApple The chrysanthemum is the symbol of the emperor's family, displaying it, means more or less "honour to serve the emperor". AFAIK, the police still uses it. Also, the cast is called "目貫" (menuki), it helps adding grip to the handle and embellishes the sword.

[@discodan3367]

Fantastic video! No shame in it not being a firearm, because last I checked Ian, your channel is called "Forgotten Weapons", not "Forgotten Firearms." Thank you for sharing this piece of history!

[@flynlion-p9i]

Cool video. I never realized that Japan was still making swords during WW2, I just figured that the swords in the news reels were antiques. Learn something new every day.

[@BaronVonHardcharger]

I appreciate the level of gravitas that Ian assumes when speaking about difficult subjects. While interesting, these sorts of things are often approached too lightly in our society. Well done. Would love to see a comparison on here with the Kyu-Gunto and adoption of the sabre by Japan during the Meiji period. :)

[@thelegendaryklobb2879]

Matt Easton of Scholagladiatoria has a video on the kyu-gunto kzbin.info/www/bejne/hquQioareJyifrs

[@vampirecount3880]

" these sorts of things are often approached too lightly in our society." What do you mean?

[@DrSabot-A]

@@vampirecount3880 Too lightly as in "Oh wow these swords are so cool, this is so much better than [this] specific sword! I couldnt care less where this is from, how it was made, why this was made, but this is perfect example of Japanese craftmanship!!"

[@CThyran]

@@DrSabot-A Sometimes a cool sword is just a cool sword. Not everything needs to devolve into some socio-economical tirade.

[@vampirecount3880]

@@CThyran Yes, a sword is just a sword

[@mangetak2783]

I have heard an interesting story about katana. Katana was a symbol of class already in Samurai period, Tokugawa shogunate era in the 17th to 19th century. In late 16th century, Guns were main weapon in the civil war. And Japanese had mass-produced matchlocks more than any European country at that time. Even a samurai with best sword skill could not match farmers/foot soldiers with guns, bows and arrows or long spears. A nicely crafted sword for a samurai was a symbol of commander class. After the civil war, the government started to disarm local feudal lords. They created the image of katana, rather inefficient close combat weapon, as a spirit of samurai and other weapons are not. Especially guns. In short, the government fantasized katana for gun control. I’m not good with history (and english grramer) but this theory is convincing to me.

[@nmarbletoe8210]

hey that's interesting

[@InLoveWithCities]

Also the Katana, as with most short or mid length swords, was alwyas a secondary weapon. A last defense on the Battlefield and a daily carry in peace.

[@Aeroc0bra]

Damn last time I was this early Forgotten weapons was still only a website.

[@joeking3172]

Cool video. Like that it’s a different kind of weapon. And a truly forgotten weapon at that.

[@kingcollin333]

They were actually used a lot. In "With the Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge, said that at three end of the battle of Okinawa they very last resistance on the island were commisioned officers with Shin Gunto swords who charged in full dress uniforms and were gunned down after one of the officers cut off a couple fingers from a Marine partying his sword. They were very sharp.

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

To be honest, the whole "folding" thing was just because the original metallurgy wasn't up to producing sword-sized billets of decent steel, so blades HAD to be made of much smaller lumps hammered together, much the same as European pattern welded swords. A decent-quality modern steel, well heat-treated, is just as good as a moderate quality original one. (I've practiced the Tiama Ryu Naval kata. * basic moves, intended to teach non-swordsmen the basics. Unfortunately, move number 8 is a beheading. Always makes me uneasy doing that one). Nice sword!

[@PoundItNailIt]

Ya ever try #8 out on a chunk of meat? Or is that bad form?

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

@@PoundItNailIt With a Brush Hook, on a badly injured (punctured lung from a cat), stoat. Worked. Clean off in one blow.

[@jongustavsson5874]

As far as steel goes modern is far superior to any they did use when swords was standard equipment.

[@PrototypeSpaceMonkey]

Also, there's this misconception that the number of "folds" is the amount if times it's been folded. Fold once = 2 layers. Fold twice = 4, fold thrice = 8. 16, 32, 64, 128, etc. When you hear someone say "This katana was folded 1000 times!" they really mean it was folded 10 times (1024 layers) Fold it more than... I think it's like 12 times or something? and the steel becomes really brittle and starts to delaminate.

[@8c.16.haganahadam3]

It's just a big Japanese bayonet

[@TFZoia]

tmw you realize that the channel's name is Forgotten Weapons and not Forgotten Guns '-'

[@TFZoia]

@@FurnishedIgloo Thx for the heads up, didn't even noticed

[@edithadyyk556]

My great grandfather brought one of those back from his service in the pacific theatre. He used it a few times to behead the chickens on the farm. It's been put into a shadowbox display on the wall for posterity.

[@amduil8168]

Honestly i clicked this video, fully expecting to be told this sword is secretly a gun.

[@benek8737]

Haha, i did thought same

[@kl1thedominion]

Man, how do you reload this thing?

[@Gabriel87100]

Imagine going back in time and telling some Japanese officer his beloved steel will not be part of a glorious battle, but be collected by an enemy after his pointless death, be traded and preserved for more than 70 years, then be shown to the entire planet via a technology he can't even imagine yet.

[@High8Studio]

Nah even worse. Most GI probably just gave them to their kids to play with. A bunch are rusted, beat to shit, used like garden tools and toys. Most were probably broken, tossed, and lost. That's what happened to a bunch of swords. This one Ian has is pretty well taken care of.

[@thekamotodragon]

hey i mean i'd feel bad for that specific officer, but tbh for their overall military... kinda deserved, sorry but Japan needed to lose, if they didn't, i can only imagine the war crimes that would've come since that was the norm for them at the time, but obviously still losing ones culture/traditional items to the enemy feels bad, but that's also at least, the least damaging thing to lose as an officer.

[@Gabriel87100]

@@thekamotodragon I don't like Imperial Japan, I feel bad for the civilians and the soldiers that managed to resist the brainwashing of the military to become inhumane rape/torture/genocidal machines. Rather than considering every single person in Japan at the time the same as the worst Japanese war criminals, I view Imperial Japan as a shining example of what happens when a State has too much power, including the power to brainwash people into anything they want.

[@hinglemccringleberry9389]

yea, well a lot of those Japanese officers committed massive war crimes against the chinese, so fuk their feelings

[@NathanPa-xo3zj]

Ian should make "Forgotten Melee" new channel or Series for antique melee weaponry review

[@FellsApprentice]

Collab with scholagladitoria

[@philippinecircularflag2023]

Imagine him reviewing a Caveman club

[@dlatrexswords]

Hey man, very late to finding this video of yours. Absolutely spectacular overview. Love the detail that you've gone into in looking at the type 35!

[@PalleRasmussen]

Ian. You need to bring Matt Easton from Schola Gladiatora on when you talk sword. He is a Historian, Archeologist, antique weapons dealer, and HEMA trainer for 25+ years. And he has a nice KZbin channel where he talks about... mostly swords. What you know and are for guns; he knows and are for blades (and polearms).

[@richardbaxter2057]

I was shown the sword that belonged to the Japanese Sergeant Major, who ran Changi Prison Camp. It was not one of these, having a proper traditional finish to the handle and scabbard. As Allied Forces approached Changi, the Japanese increased the rations to the Prisoners and handed over the Camp to them. The Allied Officer inmates of Changi, convened a Courts Martial and the Sergeant Major was sentenced to death and beaten to death with his sword, in its scabbard, this being the most dishonourable death that he could be afforded. The sword remains exceptionally sharp and is held by a local Regiment who were interned after the fall of Singapore.

[@aaron4820]

"Were these actually used?" *cries in Nanjing ... I guess they weren't really used under normal circumstances, which is why two officers (probably with very similar swords) had to hold a contest to see who can kill 100 civilians/pows with sword first... One of the two swords used in this contest is in a museum in Taiwan, with Japanese inscription that states "Nanjing Battle.107 kills". In 2017, some lunatic in Taiwan stole this sword from the museum and tried to use it to attack the Presidential Office, injuring one guard in the process before being arrested. You can find pictures of this sword and it has a very similar grip, but different guard. The way the sword is displayed in said museum is also very chilling, it scales up a picture of a man who's about to be beheaded by a Japanese soldier, and on this blown up 1:1 picture, they mount the sword in the hand of the soldier, and the sheath in the same place where it would be in the photo.

[@ootdega]

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""battle"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

[@alisahutako4518]

It might be just me thinking this but i think the swords aren't just status symbols but they also give spiritual/emotional support to the people who have them~ and it's also to give a reminder what they are fighting for as a soldiers~ i might be rambling nonsense but whenever i think of the japanese especially those that came from old households, they just remind me of discipline~

[@lordmuhehe4605]

Not gonna lie, that sounds kinda weeby.

[@alisahutako4518]

@@lordmuhehe4605 What's so 'Weeby' about that~?

[@ragingjaguarknight86]

You might be onto something. A US Army field manual claims that the bayonet is "a useful training aid in building morale and increasing desired aggressiveness in troops." If a simple bayonet can increase morale, it's plausible that a sword could as well.

[@alisahutako4518]

@@ragingjaguarknight86 I think a drawn sword and raised in the air would increase morale more times than a bayonet~ Btw can I know where you found that anecdote~? I am a little interested in reading it~

[@ragingjaguarknight86]

@@alisahutako4518 ask and you shall receive. Check out "The Psychology of the Bayonet" by Maj. William Beaudoin. Also a US Army field manual but I forgot which one.

[@jasemac5391]

Yes 🙌🏻 please ad more blades to your channel as I love seeing the bayonets that go together with a lot of the rifles you show and military fighting knives would be awesome as well 👍🏻🇦🇺

[@tuono2914]

thanks ian. jesus, I love your video style

[@gaymansupreme]

It was wild to think that the Japanese during the turning point of modern warfare still used Katana / Wakizashi to some extent in combat, even if it was a last ditch effort.

[@Eskeletor_210]

“I like to keep this for close encounters”

[@Solnoric]

@@Eskeletor_210 the Pacific islands theater most combat was at 30 yards and under.

[@shoelessbandit1581]

@@Solnoric at that distance I'd argue if you were a marine with a bolt action your odds aren't going to be so obvious.

[@gaymansupreme]

@@Solnoric I'd like to think most officers and sargeants used the blade to cut away brush in the jungles in the Pacific Campaign, it could've been a different story though in close quarters with spider holes and tunnels etc.

[@Solnoric]

@@gaymansupreme lol I very highly doubt officers or even NCOs would be doing anything remotely resembling that unless they were a special mission unit comprised entirely of officers or the like.

[@armorer94]

The scabbard latch is an interesting addition. More practical than anything else.

[@ctwargames]

A Chindit, Lt. George Albert Cairns won a posthumus Victoria Cross in a melee with a Japanese officer and his sword, as witnessed by Brigadier Michael Calvert. Calvert, who led the attack in person, wrote "On the top of Pagoda Hill, not much bigger than two tennis courts, an amazing scene developed. The small white Pagoda was in the centre of the hill. Between that and the slopes which came up was a mêlée of South Staffords and Japanese bayonetting, fighting with each other, with some Japanese just throwing grenades from the flanks into the mêlée." Calvert added, "there, at the top of the hill, about fifty yards square, an extraordinary mêlée took place, everyone shooting, bayoneting, kicking at everyone else, rather like an officers’ guest night." During the attack Cairns was attacked by a Japanese officer who with his sword hacked off the lieutenant's left arm. Cairns killed the officer and retrieved the fallen sword before wounding several other Japanese. He subsequently collapsed and perished the following day. Calvert wrote, "[i]n front I saw Lieut. Cairns have his harm hacked off by a Jap, whom he shot. He picked up the sword and carried on. Finally we drive them back behind the Pagoda.”

[@getreal2977]

This was quite an unexpected but most welcome addition to your video collection Ian. I hope there will be more like these about melee weapons combined with some historical depth inside like e.g. your nice videos about battle field history videos. thank you and keep up the great work.

[@8PK4Life8]

Eagerly waiting for 'on the range' vid