Japanese and Related Swords
updated February 25, 2008

Help us keep this Identification Service alive.
Visit our Shopping Site pages and buy from us direct or visit our Books for Sale pages and buy research materials from one of our affiliates. Proceeds and commissions from these sales - in part - go towards the purchase of additional reference materials and acquisition expenses. You can also order this service online from our Identification Request Page or send a check or money order with your identification request or as a token of gratitude if this site has proven to be helpful to you. If you send a check or money order, please note on the document that it is intended for the "Research Fund".
Additionally, if there is anything that you would like to see on the following pages - in a weaponry identification sense - please feel free to request such and I will try to add additional information as soon as possible.
Please note - buying an item or sending funds does not guarantee a response. Due to overwhelming response to this website, I may not answer directly; I may simply post new material on the website in hope that a published response will answer your question(s).

  • If you E-mail or snail-mail any images to me for use in identification of an item, I reserve the right to use - without further contact - those images on my website, without compensation to you (other than my efforts to assist you, however minimal the result may actually be).
  • Please do not send single e-mail image files larger than 250kb, or no larger than 500kb total for multiple images; I will not open them.
  • Do not send images in compressed file format(s) such as ZIP extension files; once again, I will not open them.
  • Send image(s) in JPG/JPEG format only.

Research materials I have available are quite substantial; however, on some items, information within those materials might be quite sparse. If you choose to snail-mail images, please make sure you have copies or your originals retained for yourself. We do not return images in any format and they become the property of Arms to Armor - The History Store without compensation to you for any use - past, present, or future.


If sending a check or money order, please mail, payable to:

The History Store
P.O. Box 160
Llano, Texas 78643

If you have a specific identification question, please see our Identification Request Page.

If you are wanting to buy antique or collectible swords, please visit our Online Store and view our Swords for Sale page.

You can also buy research materials from one of our affiliates at our Books for Sale pages.

Artillery Cavalry Cadet Field and Staff Infantry Medical and Payroll
Miscellaneous Militia Musician Naval NCO Society

Below are the images of the major military (and related ethnic) swords - and some civilian swords - commonly found in Japan and immediate surrounding areas. Many of these swords will fall into the Miscellaneous category. I hope this page is of service to you.
I offer advice on request; however, initially, the best advice I can offer to the novice collector is, "READ BOOKS."
There are a number of wonderful books available and below I have listed some of my favorites; I also occasionally have some of these titles for sale."
One cannot fully appreciate Japanese swords - especially ancient swords - without knowing their manufacturing techniques and excellence. On later swords, it becomes necessary to study all early-European swords.



KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

List of Books:

Military Swords of Japan 1868-1945

Samurai Sword: A Handbook

Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths: From 1868 to the Present

The Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords

Cutting Edge: Japanese Swords In The British Museum

European influence on Japanese sword-fittings, 1543-1853

100 selected tsuba from European public collections: Catalogue

Japanese Sword-Fittings: And Associated Metalwork (Baur Collection)

Classical Weaponry of Japan: Special Weapons and Tactics of the Martial Arts

Catalogue of arms and armor of old Japan: Examples of the famous Miyochin's and others celebrated for their work in metals

Japanese Sword Terms and 400 Named Blades

Japanese sword blades

The Japanese Signature Handbook (An Invaluable Guide to the Identification of the Artists ... Netsuke, Inro, Ojime, Oki-mono, Lacquer, Sword Blades, Tsuba, Sword Furniture, Armor, Pottery, Ceramics, Ukiyo-e Prints, Paintings

Japanese sword blades

Japanese Sword Blades of the Shimto and Shinshinto Periods

A primer of Japanese sword-blades

If you need further information, please request such on the Weapons Identification Service page.

If you are wanting to Buy Swords, please visit our Online Store and view our Swords for Sale page.
Artillery Swords





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Cadet or Military Academy Swords





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Cavalry Swords



Japanese Model 1899 Cavalry Trooper's Sword


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Field and Staff Officer's Swords





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Infantry Swords





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Medical and Payroll Swords





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Militia Swords





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Miscellaneous Swords



Japanese Katana and Wakizashi


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Musician Swords





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Naval Swords





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Non-Commissioned Officer's (NCO) Swords





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Society Swords





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