Japanese Army Officer's Wakizashi sword and scabbard : Private J N Haines, 29/46th Australian Infantry Battalion

Japanese Army Officer's Wakizashi sword and scabbard in leather battle guard. The hilt has the standard army style gilded brass shin-gunto fittings with cherry blossom menuki (hilt ornaments) on each side of the handle on the white ray skin under the brown binding. Written in black on the mouth of the handle is, 'NODA [illegible]'. The tsuba (guard) is solid, rectangular in shape with cherry blossom motifs in the corners and has two seppa (spacer plates) on each side. The kabuto-gane (pommel) is complete with a sarute (loop). Fitted to the blade is a silver habaki (blade sleeve) engraved with a 'cat scratch' pattern. The tang, with one peg hole, is engraved 'ECHIZEN JU SHIMOSAKA MASAKUNI [illegible]'. The scabbard has a single hanger near the throat and is covered with a leather battle guard. A length of knotwork cord is attached to the hanger ring.

Although mounted in standard Imperial Japanese Army fittings, the blade of this sword was made in about 1680 by the Japanese swordsmith SHIMOSAKA Masakuni and may have been a family heirloom of the Japanese officer who carried it.

The sword is associated with the Second World War service of NX157533 Private John Neville Haines, 29/46th Australian Infantry Battalion, who was born in 1923 at Dubbo, NSW. He was living in Sydney and working as a junior cleaner when he enlisted in the Militia in January 1942. Attached to the 104 Australian Tank Attack Regiment, Haines served in Western Australia and New South Wales with that unit until June 1944 when he transferred to the 28th Infantry Training Battalion.

In December 1944 Private Haines was transferred to the 29/46th Battalion and in January 1945 left Brisbane for Jacquinot Bay in New Britain. For the next eight months, Haines and his battalion participated in a patrolling war against the Japanese on New Britain. With the Japanese surrender and the war over, Haines returned to Australia in December 1945, but remained in the army for another year. He was discharged in December 1946.