Charging toward enemy with katana?

[Peter H]

This looks like something out of a kung fu movie

More heroics in China

[hisashi]

Military Swords of Imperial Japan
http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~t-ohmura/gunto_002.htm

The page above is a supreme collection of military swords. But some pages, especially 'Evaluation of Gunto' section, frequently quoting Naruse Kanji(成瀬関次 1888-1948)'s works. This section deals with the dameges on (not by) Japanese katana during the war. Abstructed translation is available in the following.

http://www.k3.dion.ne.jp/~j-gunto/gunto_138.htm

Before introducing Naruse, I introduce a movie.



An Australian living in Japan is showing Negishi-Ryu Shuriken. His master is the 5th master of Negishi-Ryu, known since 1808. Naruse Kanji was the third master and also an expert of katana. and from 1938 he spent one year or so in China as a hired civilian of IJA for weapon repair.

As another side story let me recall the recent history of katana. Since 17th century Japan experienced no war for a few centuries. Katana with beautiful wavy pattern (hamon) was precious and they thought little of values in combat. It became short, standardly 70cm or so. Still it was a two-handed sword. With long grip for two hands, Japanese samurais hit the enemy with all his might and weight.

Hamon samoles
http://www14.ocn.ne.jp/~yukodo/nihontou ... hamon.html

After Meiji restoration Japan introduced sabre-like sword. It was one-hand sword. It was okay while used as a leader's simbol, but in close combat many officers felt it could yield too weak stroke. So IJA changed their standard to two-handed katana, but many officers and even soldiers (cavalry etc.) in some position used their old sabre-like swords.

The anonymous author of 'Military Swords of Imperial Japan' quotes several katana blade had broken, especially old Edo-era ones. Recently mass-produced military swords (Showa-To), based on pressed plate or pipe were relatively strong against breaking.

Flexion seemed more common. Naruse briefly hinted 'Swords free from break would suffer flexion'. Perhaps Showa-to were the most likely to flex. Saw-edging typically occured on those made in and after Edo-era in traditionary methods. Antique swords before 16th century (refitted into modern style) seldom suffered into saw-edged.

But trouble in the blade itself was not the majority in repair. The grip was the most typical repair part.

katana's grip is basically made from woods. They nail (or rather choke) wooden grip to the hole on end of blade, cover it with ray skin and lastly wind it up with thread .
http://shinryu-kai.b1388.jp/article/0041529.html

The most recent katana, both Showa-to and traditional katana, suffered from the shortage of good material on the grip parts and substitutes were not as good. The most typical trouble was breaking or losing of the fixing nail. Too old ones, for a long years with no maintenance care and carried out from storages, were also in bad status. On that point, Meiji era sabres were relatively good.

hisashi

[Peter H]

The highest ranking Allied soldier killed by a Japanese sword was British battalion commander Lt Colonel John Williams of the 4/9th Jats "decapitated" by a sword while he peered over a water bank during a personal reconnaissance at Bakri,Malaya 15th January 1942 .

[AVV]

Hello!

The highest ranking Allied soldier killed by a Japanese sword was British battalion commander Lt Colonel John Williams of the 4/9th Jats "decapitated" by a sword while he peered over a water bank during a personal reconnaissance at Bakri,Malaya 15th January 1942 .

IMHO, this is another proof of unreasonableness of high-ranking officers engaging into actions that could be quite well carried out without their personal presence.

Best regards, Aleks

[PF]

Sorry-a Marine photographer was attacked by a sword waving Japanese on Iwo Jima after flag raising on Mt Surabachi-he was not injured and it was not Joe rosenthal!

[Sewer King]

From ebay, seller akiba 0711: Carrying knee mortar, early 1942

If the photo is not posed, was it common to advance with only a bayonet in hand? None of these are late-war photos in which bayonets were the last weapon available. How common was infantry training for knife fighting?

Here an NLF sailor also wields a bayonet like a sidearm, at Shanghai, 1932.

So does a soldier at lower left in this postcard illustration of jungle combat (from “Japan's high tide” thread).

-- Alan

[hisashi]

It is possible, though it is seldom mentioned.

In Edo era (17th century to roughly 1868) only samurai was authorized to carry katana. For self-defence, however, they tacitly allowed short katana up to 60cm (wakizashi or kodachi). So many non-samurai people and sometimesly ladies in samurai family learned the combat by kodachi.

In 1921, Rikugun Toyama School (IJA school for a few special subjects including martial arts) formalized 'tanken-do', the training by bayonet in hands, based on old trainings for kodachi. I don't know how it was common among soldiers in WWII.

I am not sure about my understanding, but kodachi combat doctrine was as follows.

1. kodachi is a one-hand sword. If you hustle somebody with normal katana each other, you surely lose because katana is a two-hand sword. Just guard and move roundly to the other side.
2. Rush to the enemy and stub. Do not cut.
3. Use your another hand to grip enemy's hand. There is little chance for kodachi to win anybody with long sword, but quickness might give you a luck.
4. If you have two kodachi in both of your hands, use one for guard and the other for stub.

The following is an exhibition of modern tanken-do.

[Peter H]

From ebay,seller gunjinantiques

Shanghai 1932---this officer looks well prepared for any eventuality

[Sewer King]

Thanks Hisashi, I had heard of samurai lady's skill with kaiken or spear, but didn't know some could also develop skill of wakizashi. The exhibition suggests some of the technique you explained, the short vs. the long weapon.

• Coincidentally, many western infantry still carried types of short swords through much of the 18th century. Called "hangers" in British/US usage, these traced back to 16th century when unreliable matchlocks needed to be backed up with swords. Although they saw some secondary use after musket and bayonet -- the latter a thrusting-only long arm -- hangers lingered on in minor use or wear through the early 19th century.

The formal start of tanken-do in 1921 makes me wonder if the IJA's observations from World War I had helped it. Trench warfare and its melee combat with blades, clubs, and spades had led to schools of knife fighting there too. But these ended up as relative specialties rather than widely taught (or even introduced) to line troops. Between the wars there would be less call for men trained in it, though it would be useful for the early special forces of the next war and beyond.

• Maybe for similar reasons tanken-do was less used by the time of World War II?

Could there also be another explanation for some of the men with bayonets in hand -- they are shown manning grenade launchers and assisting light machine guns, so they cannot use rifles in the advance? German and Allied troops doing the same might have been issued pistol sidearms. But these IJA men were not, so they advance with bayonets in hand.

-- Alan

[hisashi]

kaiken: up to 30cm. have in breast slit of kimono.
tessen: up to 30cm. steel-made fun(sensu). In emergency it was used as a last guard weapon.
kodachi = wakizashi: 30-60cm, have on belt.
tachi = katana(common) = nihonto: 60-90cm, typically 75cm in the era of Meiji Restoration
o-dachi = nodachi; over 90cm. Hard to swing. Only effective in medieval era, when all samurai wore wooden/leather armor (yoroi). Seldom made after 17th century.

Kaiken resembles Derringer pistol. It was a last resort, or a mean of assasination. Some old art of using tessen and kaiken exists anyway. The chance to win against long weapon seems less than kodachi...



The martial arts had many groups, not very friendly each other, in judo and in kendo. So though it was taught everywhere unification of teaching method was poor. In general, tankendo was mainly for soldiers without rifles on his duty.

[Gustav_SC]

My impression, which could be wrong, is that Japanese grenadiers (infantry issued the "knee mortar") were not issued a rifle or pistol. Thus, as in the photo above, the bayonet is their sole weapon for any type of close combat. I guess "it's better than nothing".

Note that in the 60's the US Army had the M79 40mm grenade launcher. A single shot, shoulder-fired weapon. But, the grenadier was issued with a pistol, plus there were buckshot rounds for close range since it could be aimed like a rifle.

[Zaf1]

Hi Peter

Thank you for the information on Lt Colonel John Williams of the 4/9th Jats at Bakri. Can you give me the source?

Regards

Zaf

[Peter H]

Zaf
Mentioned in Singapore Burning,Colin Smith.

Peter

[matthew hainer]

Hello, A long while ago, I read a account of the battle for Luzon. While a U.S tank colum was moving down a road, a Japanese Officer
jumped out of the bushes holding a sword in his right hand and a Japanese Flag in the other. He stood in the pathway of the tank colum, and after repeatedly signaling him to move out of the way and surrender, they gunned him down. Unfortunately I do not remember where I read this in.

[Zaf1]

Thanks for the information Peter

Regards

Zaf