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Need some help with vintage samurai knife
- Thread starter Zulus
- Start date
honestly??! it's a letter opener....
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese-Letter-Opener.jpg
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese-Letter-Opener.jpg
LOL. That is an old Japanese export product from the 1960s.
No such thing as a traditional "letter opener" in Japan because until the mid 1800s all Japanese writing was written vertically. So when the Japan Post was created around the same time, the proper way to open an envelope was to tear along the top edge of the envelope. Even as writing changed from vertical left to right- to the now horizontal left to right, the habit of opening the envelope by tearing the edge still remains to a great extent. So that letter opener was a product made in Japan by some factory contracted by a US importer to their specs, ie; look samurai-ish by resembling a real tanto in it's shirasaya. Love the fake hamon though.
All modern letter openers made in Japan are western looking. BUT- the idea of a "Japanese letter opener" aimed at western buyers is still around today:
https://japantoday.com/category/features/new-products/samurai-sword-letter-openers
No such thing as a traditional "letter opener" in Japan because until the mid 1800s all Japanese writing was written vertically. So when the Japan Post was created around the same time, the proper way to open an envelope was to tear along the top edge of the envelope. Even as writing changed from vertical left to right- to the now horizontal left to right, the habit of opening the envelope by tearing the edge still remains to a great extent. So that letter opener was a product made in Japan by some factory contracted by a US importer to their specs, ie; look samurai-ish by resembling a real tanto in it's shirasaya. Love the fake hamon though.
All modern letter openers made in Japan are western looking. BUT- the idea of a "Japanese letter opener" aimed at western buyers is still around today:
https://japantoday.com/category/features/new-products/samurai-sword-letter-openers
Unfortunately your letter opener was not made in Occupied Japan. We have seen knives here that were clearly marked "Occupied Japan" because they needed export approval from whatever branch under GHQ handled that. The occupation ended in 1952, and your letter opener is definitely not from the 1950s.