A Shin-Shinto katana in Shingunto koshirae with typical metal saya/shibabiki/ishizuke/obi-tori, and sakura decorated tsuba; the blade configuration honzukuri/fukura-tsuku with single mekugi-ana and apparent yasurime on the kijimomo style nakago; nagasa about 66.5 cm (about 2 shaku/1 Sun/9.456013 bu). Omote with seven kanji, including date Showa juku; ura with two kanji.Provenance: The Property of a Gentleman. The vendor's Grandmother was Japanese, but he is unable to confirm that the sword belonged to her family.Although 1944 was a year of significant decline for industrial production in Japan, Showato of some quality continued to be made, many being produced or distributed through the Seki Arsenal in Mino Province. This was also the year which saw the initial missions of the Tokko-tai, originally formed by Vice Admiral Onishi Takijiro from the remnants of the 201st Air Group. Remarkably, blades were still manufactured into 1945, and Fuller and Gregory ('Military Swords of Japan/1868-1945') illustrate an oshigata of a blade from that year with a February date, the month in which the US Marine Corps landed on Iwo Jima Island.. Please note that there are several areas of urumu and rust or other damage or loss to both blade and koshirae, including: severe patches of rust beside the habaki, and on both ura and omote.The sarute is missing.