Japanese tachi (Military fighting sword), which belonged to a Japanese Army Officer. The hilt of the tachi consists of two pieces of magnolia wood joined together longitudinally to form the grip. The wooden grip is covered with white ray-skin, and is bound with a piece of brown silk tape. The pommel (kabuto-gane) is decorated with a double ogee outline with a crest in the middle of the pommel (kabuto-gane) which consists of a cherry flower through the centre of which passes a sleeve for a metal loop (saru-te), which is decorated with cherry blossom and leaves. The metal mounts are made of brass and have been coloured brown and have traces of gilt.

The steel blade is slightly curved, single-edged with a gable-sectioned back. The blade is engraved with the words 'Mino Province (Kanetoshi)' and 'Noshu Kanetoshi Saku, Showa 18'. The arsenal number '4438' is painted in black on the tang. The white metal scabbard has been painted with olive green paint. Running from throat to tip on the scabbard is a narrow metal band, attached to which is a suspension locket consisting of two parallel circlets merged into one at the point of suspension by a flower head from which stems the loop for the ring, a decorative circlet with a pendant leaf (shiba-biki) and chape (ishi-dzuki) made in the same form and size as the pommel (kabuto-gane).

The tachi along with WPN1398 was surrendered to Lord Louis Alexander Mountbatten (1854-1921), Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia and belonged at one time to 'HMS Sussex'.