Samurai sword

'Shin-gunto' ('New Army Swords') were worn by officers in the Japanese Imperial Army during World War Two. Many were mass-produced in factories, however some consisted of older traditionally made blades retrofitted with new mounts manufactured in army workshops.

In the Edo period (1615-1868) the three major centres of sword production in Japan were Edo (modern Tokyo), Osaka and Kyoto. Traditionally a Samurai would wear a short sword ('wakizashi') together with a long sword ('katana') on his belt.

This short sword was made by Izumi (no) Kami Rai Kinminchi, a swordsmith working in Kyoto between 1648 and 1680. He was the third generation of a sword-making family which claimed descent from the famous 14th century 'Rai' school in the city. The maker of this sword used the 'kiku' emblem, a 16 pettled chrysanthemum, on the tang ('nakago') as a mark of quality alongside his signature. The World War Two hilt features a design of three cherry blossoms ('menuki') mounted on the fish skin ('samé') grip. The guard ('tsuba') features a pattern of four cherry blossoms.

This sword was surrendered to Admiral Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander in South-East Asia in World War Two, by a Japanese Imperial Army officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Araki. Mountbatten presented the sword to the Corporation of London on the occasion of being given the freedom of the City in 1946.