Type: Kaiken – Japanese Officer’s Personal Dirk

Item No.: ujta007

Swordsmith: Kanemitsu Senjuin (signed on blade)

Period: 1943-45

Location: Likely Gifu prefecture

Length: About 10cm

Mekugi: 1

Hamon: Gunome (well polished, excellent condition)

Saya: Traditional Japanese WWII wood scabbard

Habaki: Silver wrapped on copper base

Documentation: Very similar kaiken featured in the book Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks by Richard Fuller

Included: Silk carry bag, WWII collectible pouch, sword maintenance kit, copy of the pages from Richard Fuller book

This very rare signed Japanese Officer’s Kaiken (Personal dirk/dagger). Swords such as these were meant to be carried by a Navy pilot for his Kamikaze mission by air or in a Naval Kaiten (manned suicide torpedo). This kaiken was produced during the years of 1943 to 1945.

Most kaiken were either badly burned, destroyed or sunk at sea. Those that may have survived often fell into the hands of the Japanese Yakuza after the war. Thankfully this is not one such case.

Please refer to the bottom of this web page to the scanned pages of Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks by Richard Fuller (the most respected guide) as included below that attests to it’s authenticity. This piece happens to be in even better condition that appears in the book.

The sword is brilliantly polished, and well maintained. It also comes with its original brocade silk carry bag from WWII. Notice the distinctive blood groove running along the blade.

The sword is also legally registered in Japan, which is rare in it’s own right. As it is registered, we can legally export the sword from Japan to the United States.

Historically speaking, a kaiken is a dagger carried by men and women of the Samurai class in Japan. It was useful a weapon for self-defense in close quarters when a long katana or slightly shorter wakizashi would not do.

A kaiken was often carried by women in their kimono obi for self-defense and for jigai (suicide). A woman often received a kaiken as part of her wedding gifts. Many of these daggers could be carried in a pouch of brocade with a drawstring for easy access.

Even to this day, kaiken have become part of the traditional Japanese marriage ceremonies, carried by the bride for good fortune. Seeing that this particular Naval kaiken has survived until this day can be seen in a similar light – a symbol of good fortune.

This piece is a stark reminder of the heroic efforts of all those fighting up north to quell the nuclear disaster in Fukushima. In support of the mission, Unique Japan will donate 50,000 yen from this sale to the Japanese Red Cross towards the relief effort in the region.

A 4% discount is offered for payments made directly to Unique Japan by direct bank transfer or in cash (dollars or yen). An attractive layaway plan is also available as listed below. Contact us to purchase this sword.

Unique Japan is proud to offer a convenient layaway plan for our valued customers. If you are interested in purchasing this sword on layaway, simply contact us here for more information. The general terms of our layaway plan are outlined here.

If you are an American citizen living on Okinawa, we encourage layaway plans to use the services of G.I. Bill Pay, whom we have an account with. They can create a cost-effective payment plan that works best for you.

If you are interested in this sword and others from our collection, please contact us to book an appointment. Private meetings are generally arranged within the Tokyo area.

Unique Japan is able to ship swords from Japan to countries all over the world. All legal exportation paperwork is included with every purchase. Please allow about 4 weeks for us to process and ship an order from Japan. Dealers welcome.