Minatogawa JinJa Kai Gunto by MasaTada

Signature:  Minatogawa JinJa MasaTada.  Dated Showa 16, August.
Forging Pattern:  Tight mokume, almost konuka hada
Tempering Pattern: Choji Midare in nie and nioi
Dimensions:  Blade Length:  26.75 inchesNakago: 7.8 inches 7 mm thick 29 mm wide
Mountings:  Original Custom Kai Gunto with shirasaya and sunagi.  Engraving on tsuba says Victory over Saseo City (which is a City in Korea i think).
Overall Condition:  Excellent.  Recent polish and shirasaya.  Minatogawa Tanrenjo was founded in December, 1940 by Murakami Michimasa and Moriwaki Kanme.  Murakami got his art name, Masatada, in July 1941 and supplied blades to high rank Naval officers.  Masatada, left the Shrine in 1942 due to illness and died in 1944.  His blades are extremely rare and this was one of his later works.  This blade is extremely well forged with an elegant curve and excellent hada and extremely active Choji Hamon (difficult to photograph due to hadori polish).