Identification - Korea GI bringback

fearn · 11th October 2013, 05:30 PM

It's more than WW2. Japan colonized Korea from 1910 to 1945, and Manchuria from 1932-1945. The Japanese police were quite active in these times, and their retreat in 1945 was rather precipitous. In addition, Korea nationalists fought with the communist Chinese against the Japanese throughout WW2 (and indeed previously)

Given this mixed history, I'm unsurprised that a Japanese, or Japanese-style, blade, would turn up in Korea in the 1950s.

My 0.00002 cents,

F

M ELEY · 12th October 2013, 11:22 AM

I agree with Trenchwarfare on this one. I've owned Japanese kai gunto Army dress swords and police swords complete with family mon on hilt. The Chinese were copying this style for quite awhile. If you ever get a chance to look at a Chinese Pilot's/Air Cadet's dagger, you see many of the Japanese influences, but more crude and typically flaking to the chrome, simpler depictions/line work to the scabbards, etc. It doesn't make the piece any less desirable to me, as I'm into the history of it. WWII era.

11th October 2013, 05:30 PM	#1
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	It's more than WW2. Japan colonized Korea from 1910 to 1945, and Manchuria from 1932-1945. The Japanese police were quite active in these times, and their retreat in 1945 was rather precipitous. In addition, Korea nationalists fought with the communist Chinese against the Japanese throughout WW2 (and indeed previously) Given this mixed history, I'm unsurprised that a Japanese, or Japanese-style, blade, would turn up in Korea in the 1950s. My 0.00002 cents, F

12th October 2013, 11:22 AM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,076	I agree with Trenchwarfare on this one. I've owned Japanese kai gunto Army dress swords and police swords complete with family mon on hilt. The Chinese were copying this style for quite awhile. If you ever get a chance to look at a Chinese Pilot's/Air Cadet's dagger, you see many of the Japanese influences, but more crude and typically flaking to the chrome, simpler depictions/line work to the scabbards, etc. It doesn't make the piece any less desirable to me, as I'm into the history of it. WWII era.