This blade is signed “Echizen no Kuni-jū Kunitsugu saku” and has a nagasa of 53.7 cm. Kunitsugu is traditionally recorded as a swordsmith of the Echizen Shimosaka school, active around the Kan’ei period (from 1624 onward).
The blade displays a calm suguha to gently undulating hamon in nioi-deki, with a tight itame-hada jihada, reflecting the practical and robust style characteristic of the Shimosaka tradition. 
The tsuba is signed “Konan-jū Masayuki” (江南住正之), indicating the work of a Japanese tsuba maker; while detailed records are limited, such signatures are generally associated with Edo-period fittings craftsmen.
Mounted in Imperial Japanese Army Ishu Gunto fittings, a wartime adaptation in which privately owned swords were refitted for military use due to shortages of standard-issue gunto. Given the relatively short blade length, it is possible that this sword was intended for use by an armored unit or tank commander, where a shorter weapon was more practical in confined spaces.
A fine example of a traditionally forged Japanese sword adapted for use during World War II.