Sword translation

Good day all, my Father in law recently showed a sword handed down from his father long after his passing. He has no information about and we are both very curious. My father inlaws surname is Washizaki. Thank you so much for any help we greatly appreciate it !

Hello Arbsica,
Your sword says 秀光 (Hidemitsu), which would be the swordsmith's name. The opposite side says "year 13" so I suspect there is some other text above that bit that tells us exactly which era (I'm guessing Shōwa, which would make this a sword from 1938). The fittings look to be WW2-era fittings, but sometimes older swords were taken out of their antique scabbards and outfitted with modern (i.e. WW2) scabbards. However I think your sword is just a straight-up 20th century blade, judging from the patina and the sharp engraving of the name.
Also, more photos of the sword would help determine when it was made.