The wooden scabbard with a brownish leather cover are traditional mountings of the WWII period. A side view of the leather strap is seen on the left picture. The bottom of the scabbard has a simple leather design to it (right photo).

The mid section of the scabbard can be seen here. The leather has been cut to allow the hanger loop to go through. Underneath the leather the wood from the scabbard is visible.

The three cherry blossom menuki is also a typical mounting of the japanese armed forces during WWII. The menuki is often a highly decorative piece portraying figures of dragons, skulls, insects and many other characters. The picture on the right illustrates the "tachi" hardware.

The pommel cap (Kashira) came in a variety of designs or simply plain. the example shown here depicts a flowery scene.

The leather fastener with a snap is used to hold the blade in place. The wooden scabbard shows as the leather cover has receded due to aging. A clear view of the tsuba (hand guard) is displayed here.

This picture shows some of the components of a sword. A wooden peg would go through the hole in the tang to secure the blade to the handle. Soldiers would often make the peg by inserting a chop stick in the hole of the tang, then proceeded to break it. swords often displayed the signature of the maker, their title and school or village on the tang. The example shown here is not signed.

This Samurai Sword may be currently reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this item. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the collectible.