Naval Officer's Dagger, Model 1883 - Japan - Showa Period (1926-1989)

Naval Officer's Dagger, Model 1883
Japan
Showa period (1926-1989)
Steel, leather, gilded brass 
Total length: 39 ; Blade length: 22.2 cm 

Single-edged, grooved steel dagger with cherry blossom-shaped unscrewable pin fuse ending in a rounded helmet-shaped pommel, also topped with a cherry blossom. Guard with inverted quillons, marked with the hallmark of the Suya Company of Tokyo - presumably a subcontractor to the arsenal. 
Lacquered leather scabbard with two hoop rings and a release button above a cherry blossom animated by a gilt brass cap - a motif repeated on both sides. The gilded brass collar is cut out and decorated with two cherry blossoms.  

These daggers were introduced into the navy by the commission of 26 October 1883. 

Illustration taken from the book Sabres et armes blanches de l'armée impériale japonnaise (1868-1945) by Fabrice Wateau.

Text and photos © FCP CORIDON

Catalogue number: 4932