Signed Katana in Shin-Gunto Mounts

Signature:  Seki Fujiwara (no) Yoshinao Saku.
Year Made:  WW II
Forging Pattern: Hard to tell. 
Tempering Pattern: Midare and togari-ba mix possibly in ko-nie, very hard to tell do to polish.
Dimensions:  Blade Length:  26.25 inchesNakago: 7.75 inches 7 mm thick and 31 mm wide at Hamachi
Mountings: '34 Pattern Shin-Gunto mounts that have been restored by an amateur, copper habaki, latch is broken. Overall appearance is good.
Overall Condition:  Fair, sword has been cleaned with a buffer, lines are rounded off, very difficult to see any detail in hamon, especially at the boshi, a few pits but nothing major. Nakago also appears to have been cleaned and area where an arsenal stamp would have gone has no visible yasuri mei. Blade is not sharp. To sum up, it is a katana made by a listed Seki smith which is probably hand made (would need a window polished to tell for sure). The restoration, while not professionally done leaves an attractive sword and mounts for exhibit and would be fine "as is" for a collector of military items. Would take a polish if it were determined that it is traditionally made and warrants one.

SwordsElliott Tan