This fine Japanese naval officer’s sword (Kai-Guntō) features a later-war single suspension ring mount, paired with an exceptionally rare Kin-Nashiji lacquered scabbard. The saya displays a deep brown base with abundant gold speckling, created using the traditional nashiji lacquer technique — a decorative finish more often associated with high-grade traditional koshirae than with military mounts, making it a highly unusual and desirable feature.
 
The blade, measuring 64.9 cm in length, is signed 豊後住国茂 (Bungo-jū Kunishige), a smith from Bungo Province (modern Ōita). The Kunishige name spans several generations from the late Muromachi to Showa period. This school is known for robust blades with refined jigane and hamon often in gunome-midare or choji styles, featuring bright nioiguchi and active hataraki.
 
The inscription is neat and smooth, reflecting mid-to-late Edo craftsmanship—neither the broad style of Muromachi nor the harsh Showa carving. The hamon is traditional gunome-midare with slight choji hints, showing active tempering typical of classic forging rather than Showa-era military blades. The fine steel grain and subtle utsuri further support late Edo period workmanship (c. 1750–1820).