This is a early shinto era (1600-1700) wakazashi that was mounted for WWII. This is a very long wakazashi and could almost be called a short katana at 23 5/8″. A hira-zukiri sword of this length is most prized by the collector . A sword such as this when polished shows the true workmanship of the steel from side to side. The hamon is littered with hataraki, inazuma can seen as well as sunagashi and kinsugi. Ara-nie abounds in the frosting like coating of this blade. The tsuba is also from the Edo era with spiral rim encircling the entire edge with a great patina. As stated this sword was made in a unique Hirazu-kuri style which is flat sided with no shinogi. Hirazukuri blades were know to cut well and at this size it was made to battle. A very small percentage of swords were made in this style in comparison to the standard shinogi-zukuri. The blade is in its original polish with some scuffing and staining that should come out with a professional polish. The hada is clear and well forged and the hamon is in suguba style with small mounds of gunome here and there. The hamon has a multitude of activity that in a fresh polish would show very beautifully. This sword is a great candidate for restoration and someday should be submitted to shinsa for papers. The blade was an ancestral sword mounted for the military. The mounts are also interesting on this blade complete with original WWII era protective tsuka guard that is also rarely found. This overall is a very good sword for the sword enthusiast and also a military collector . A great find for the collector and very worthy of restoration due to its unique style and heritage that can be found throughout the blade.