Japanese WWII sword. Identify and translate please.
I am attempting to learn all I can about a sword my grandfather brought back from WWII. From reading this forum I gather that it is an army officer sword. I know the tang is in poor shape. Can anyone still see enough to translate it? The piece of cloth attached to the scabbard was there when he brought the sword home. Any idea what it says and why it may have been attached? I'd appreciate any information anyone could give me regarding the sword and the markings on it. I apologize for the quality of the photos, I hadn't intended on posting them when I took them.
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that is a fantastic piece of history you have there. Do you know where it was brought back from ? I would like to see more photos of the sword , blade and scabbard, preferably in daylight ! I really like the hot stamp on the tang but have not seen this particular example before . Better pics are reqd. as far as the Kanji are concerned ! It carries a nice top notch cut through Tsuba ( handguard ) . The tag attached to the scabbard is a nice touch also , it will show the original owners name as although they were disarmed upon their surrendering , it was intended ( upon cessation of hostilities ) that these items would be returned to their original owners . I love it ...look after it well 
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