Japanese Katana sword and scabbard

The hilt has a copper kashira (pommel cap) which has a pressing with a mon (family crest) either of the Oda or Askura family. It has green cotton binding tape over the ray skin grip with menukis (hilt ornaments) of lobsters on each side of the grip. It appears to have a leather cover over the fushi (ferrule) and both seppas (spacers) are in place. The round iron sukashi tsuba (guard) appears to be a three leaf pattern. On the left side of the tang in Japanese characters is the makers name 'Kanemichi' and 'Yasuki steel'. On the right side of the tang carries date the blade was made, 1941. The habaki (ricasso) is made from copper and brass and has a shinogi (ridge line) running the length of the blade. The mune (back edge) of the sword is peaked while the yakiba (tempered edge) has two nicks along its edge.

The saya (scabbard) is wood lacquered brown and is missing its ashi (suspension mount).

This sword was collected by Lindsay Tasman Ride during his service with the British Army Aid Group in China from 1942 to 1945.

Ride was born on 10 October 1898 at Newstead, Victoria and served in the First World War. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 14 February 1917 and joined the 38th Battalion on the Western Front early in 1918 where he was twice wounded.

When the Second World War broke out he was Professor of Physiology at the University of Hong Kong. In 1941 Major Ride was in charge of the field ambulance of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps during the Japanese attack. After the fall of Hong Kong on Christmas day, Ride escaped from the Japanese Shamshuipo prison camp to China in early January 1942, for which he was appointed an OBE. Ride formed (as a colonel in the Indian Army) the BAAG in March 1942 with the purpose of helping prisoners of war, internees and escapees from Hong Kong.

This was approved by the British War Office and Colonel Ride became the MI9 representative in China and commandant of the Group. BAAG became the chief source of military intelligence for the Allies in Southern China, helping to liberate 2000 people from Japanese captivity and smuggling medical drugs, food and messages of encouragement into Hong Kong. In 1944 Ride was elevated to CBE for his outstanding leadership of the BAAG. Ride and BAAG also helped the Chinese population with medical assistance and with food during its operational life until it was disbanded on the 31 December 1945. From 1948 to 1962, Ride was the colonel commandant of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force and was knighted at the end of his term.