Antique Chinese Republican Or Nationalist Kuomintang Army Officer Sword

Scarce, antique (1912-1949) Chinese Republican or Nationalist Kuomintang Army officer sword with a sturdy, slightly curved, single-edged, hand-forged steel blade (with a slightly visible forging pattern under the chrome-plated surface).

The blade is heavy, thick, and sharp.

Plain, handmade solid brass hilt with a small leaf-shaped guard and "S" shaped quillons.

The back strap has a loop on the pommel cap, into which a sword tassel (original, made of black braided fabric) is inserted, connecting the pommel with the crossguard.

The ribbed wooden grip is covered with gray sharkskin and bound with braided brass wire.

Complete with its chrome-plated steel scabbard with two suspension rings and scabbard lock.

Most Chinese Republican Army and Nationalist Army military swords were made on the pattern of the Japanese Meiji period, including military, police, and naval officers' dress swords. However, the hilts of Chinese swords were slightly different from Japanese swords.

The brass hilts of Chinese swords are not as finely cast with details as the hilts of Japanese swords.

This sword, including the hilt and blade, is free of Japanese symbols such as crests, flower blossoms, writing, signs, or armory markings that can always be seen in various parts of the Japanese army, navy, or police swords.

Furthermore, the hilt of this sword, instead of being made of individually cast elements just like a Japanese sword's hilts, consists of handmade individual brass elements with slightly visible traces of file marks and other tools used to make these parts.

The blade's tang is not secured to the handle by a pin (mekugi-an) but is secured with a screw on the top of the pommel.

The wood grip is bound in gray sharkskin instead of white rayskin (stingray), commonly used on Japanese sword grips.

Also, in Japanese swords, there are brass spacer washers, "seppa" between the guard and habaki, and in this sword, the washer is made of leather, which is not seen on Japanese swords.

All this shows that the sword was made in China on the pattern of Japanese swords and was probably custom-made for the officers of the Chinese Nationalists (Kuomintang) or the People's Liberation Army.

CONDITION: It shows its age and uses, with some scratches and minor worn spots on the chrome plating of the blade. Chrome-plated scabbard with scratches, flaking, and minor dents.

Please see all 22 pictures in the listing, as they are part of the object's condition description.

MEASUREMENTS:

Overall length with the scabbard: 73.6 cm (29 inches).

Overnight without the scabbard: 69 cm (27.17 inches).

Length of the blade: 56.3 cm (22.17 inches).

Width of the blade at the guard: 2.5 cm (0.98 inches).

Total Weight: 1 kg.