I wonder if it possible to put this to bed?
Synopsis of the post
This this style was used by officers in both IJA and IJN (land garrison troops).
A few pics of the one i have. It has two buckle prongs- not three, or the middle stud. It came with a sword captured in New Guinea.
It looks like a British style Sam Browne belt
The clasps look inexpensive. In addition, the edges of the leather are not finished,
which generally means made somewhere other than Japan.
Yes, it looks pretty new. What the original seller probably meant is that it is a modern reproduction belt that can be used to hang a traditional Nihonto.
In this case, it looks like it can be used to hang a Tachi.
The Japanese usually used different belts to hang gunto, and this doesn't look like it would be very effective for hanging any kind of a Katana or Wakizashi.
Should work on a Tachi, though this is hardly a traditional belt.
Maybe was made in Japan post war to wear a Tachi ceremonially, say at a shinto temple.
Reminds me of a police duty belt; especially the 3 hole design
The Sam Brown belts are regulation as per the naval landing force uniform regulations set forth in 1933.
They are supposed to be worn by all NLF officers, even when the sword is not in use.
They had already become a defacto standard by at least 1927, as almost every NLF officer in Shanghai had one.
1) Standard European Sam brown belt
2 )Late Japanese belt
3) Made in China as a repro
4) Made in Asia
5) Japanese WWII sword belt
Please vote for your choice