Measuring 37 3/4 inches overall, the 26 3/8 inch blade shows a strong, wavy hamon, fine grain, and is fitted in a copper habaki. The blade furniture and saya are in the military style, with a gold washed lobed tsuba and a pair of seppa on each side, a brown cord wrap over cherry blossom menuki and white rayskin, and a brown painted wood-lined metal saya. The tang is signed on both sides with 2 symbols on the left and 8 on the right; a consignor-supplied translation attributes this signature to a "Yasutoshi" (aka Kajiyama Toshimichi) at the Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo, 1935. Originally established in 1869 as a shrine to Japan's war dead, Yasukuni established a forge in 1886 to supply weapons for the Ise Shrine. In the 1930's the Japanese Department of War used Yasukuni as the nerve center for the Nihonto Tanren Kai, a new forging association to supply traditional Japanese swords to military officers. Unlike many other military suppliers, Yasukuni never compromised on the use of traditional materials and techniques for blade forging, avoiding categorization as "showato" (non-traditional swords).

Fine. The excellent blade shows some light spotting, especially on the right side next to the habaki, some areas of open grain, and a few light nicks along the edge, concentrated at the final third of the blade. The hamon is very strong, and the grain is well defined. The fittings are also fine with mild wear overall, some splitting of the rayskin around the mekugi, and a few dings on the saya. A fine example of a traditional Japanese blade produced during wartime.