made with a wooden hilt -instead of the standard brass handle,..
it has a plain iron tsuba ,
over all a decent collectable
the blade shows use ,..this sword 'saw ' the proverbial 'elephant '
a 27.25 inch machine made blade with a serial number stamped along the side { 100% correct for a NCO sword }
it measures 40 inches over in the scabbard
the scabbard is a variant , made of metal ,with a single suspension ring ,.. the scabbard looks likme it was chrome or nickel plated at one time , that has now aged and rusted ,.. the scabbards throat is missing
from a collection of a 4th div. u.s marine vet - probably brought home from iwo jima ,.. and then it hung on the wall of his den for the past 65 years
these are far more scarce , than the regular japanese NCO swords
these were made during the last year of the war,.. these last ditch swords are main style of combat / sergeants sword that was used on Iwo Jima and Okinawa - the bloodiest battles ever seen by either the united states marine corps or the Japanese imperial army & navy