Spartancrest

Looks like a lot of wear over a long long period. Some niku by the looks of it on the edges and some spots where it is worn away. Too difficult to tell where it was originally made - a piece worthy of further research. You might like this altered example to add to the list.

Damon it depends on how the craftsman planed the layout. Some nakago themed guards have the joiner others don't.

PDF of Joly's "Legend in Japanese Art" - it's a big read with lots of side references. Two versions https://archive.org/details/legendinjapanese00jolyuoft https://archive.org/details/legendinjapanese00joly_1 Also https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30882826059&cm_sp=rec-_-pd_hw_i_1-_-bdp&reftag=pd_hw_i_1 Sculpture on Japanese Sword-fittings Brinkley, Captain F. 1908 [reprint 2017] Virtually no illustrations in the book however. [I should know, I republished it!] Do not buy this book for more than $10 - you will be ripped off!

Cheeky Monkey price without the Monkey! https://www.ebay.com/itm/403718029785 One original pin for mounting in wooden base.

Changed my mind - Feathers,- hey but it is not just me! Good old Google is a bit confused as well. Well we can discount Onagadori (Japanese: 尾長鶏, "long-tailed chicken")

Barry - Shachi key ring! https://www.jauce.com/auction/w1014869886

Peter, it is a thoroughly interesting topic. They came awfully close to cutting through the end of the seppa-dai on that last one!

Wow great work Grev. Two Dutchmen - Portuguese? On the one guard here. [looks like an argument over a knocked off hat!]

Peter, I don't know if this guard [196] from a Christies auction back in 1999 fits into the square hole format?

Grev the grain in the wood and the handles - superb! [the metal straps are also better than mine, which I fear are made of old tins!] Piers, I fear some of the "nuttier" patina on mine might be peanut butter [or at least dried food stains ]

Does a small tansu count as a box? Mine has some paper with script on the back, found it at a local antique show here in Tasmania [long way from it's original home] a few missing straps and one door plate is damaged. It houses my overflow tsuba collection.

Peter, another very like your right hand design sold recently - only real difference is sekigane in the nakago-ana. https://aucview.com/yahoo/o1016027702/

Just stumbled on this thread- great boxes shown. I bought a falling apart box that may have once contained tea ceremony pieces or vase ? Anyway the joints were giving out and some shelves were broken or lost. I cleaned and tightened the fixings [square wooden pins] and gave it a coat of Danish oil. Also made a wooden locking pin that was missing from the door and fitted some clamps to hold a magnifying glass [which also doubles as a handle for the door]. Useful small item container now. I was intrigued by the way the wood joinery was done on the door - absolute precision work.

http://www.nihonto.us/NAMBAN DM115.htm You might want to see this link as well.

There are a few foreigners depicted on tsuba - but not many on namban that I can find - yet. One in the C.R. Boxer link you already have.

I think it has something to do with a legend of a giant peach or plum? - someone will know the legend better than I. For anyone wishing to post eBay links you only need the part of the link up to the question mark{?}. https://www.ebay.com/itm/203993495161

JMB, one here very similar outline design but obviously Heianjo - https://www.jauce.com/auction/j680580045

My vote is for leaves. The basic design looks like it goes back to Heianjo style, just the same as the first example. The others all show variations of leaves - usually Ginkgo. Just to make it difficult leaves and feathers have a central rib. You might notice the top middle image has five holes in the leaves - same number as yours. [is this just a coincidence or a copied design?]

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has two square cut nakago-ana namban, amongst their other examples. The holes look cut in at a later date. [Which would seem odd given the date on the second guard?] http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/10237/10367 Each guard has a good written description. EAX.10809 Two symmetrical ascending dragons amid a little scrollwork; between them, above and below the plain oblong seppadai, are two rosettes with sunk centres (settings for stones?); to right and left are two similar rosettes with palmette extensions above and below them; gold dot eyes; gold nunome on rosettes and palmette borders; kozuka-hole cut later. 18th century (1701 - 1800) 7.4 x 6.9 cm EAX.10815 The front modelled in low relief with a demon-mask above and below, each between a pair of divergent "horns", which help to enclose on either side a panel of fine undercut scrollwork; this is, however, largely invaded by the wing-like ornament beyond each of the ryōhitsu; similar conventional ornament covers all other parts of the front, including the seppadai. The back is cupped and plain, except for the seppadai and winged ryōhitsu, which here rise to the normal thickness of the guard and are decorated as on the front. Kōgai-hole plugged with gold of basketwork surface. 19th century (1801 - 1900) 6.9 x 6.5 cm

Sorry I don't have any more square hole namban but you might want to add this strange mask face to your list - a real blend of features. The hitsu are clearly Japanese design but that is about all. 69.9 mm x 67.9 mm x 7.5 mm Wt. 89g. Hizen? [likely cast and reworked]

Peter, well the hitsu have not been altered in at least one design, of which I have images of three [one being my own]. The 'niku' around the nakago-ana proves it was part of the original design and not added later. Three other designs all with niku around the square cut nakago-ana. links to same: https://www.mandarinmansion.com/item/asian-export-sword-guard-0 https://www.facebook.com/Asian-Export-sword-guards-and-Nanban-tsuba-564035753684007/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0&_rdr https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/refined-beauty-Japanese-art-of-the-edo-period/a-group-of-nine-nanban-tsuba-52/18656?lid=4&sc_lang=zh-cn Altered European guards -

Peter do you mean this square hole? "The Namban Group of Japanese Sword Guards: a Reappraisal" by Dr. John Philip Lissenden https://www.mandarinmansion.com/item/asian-export-sword-guard-0 https://archive.org/details/CRBoxer1931394/mode/2up?q=European+influence+on+Japanese+"sword-fittings%2C"+"1543-1853"+by+C+R+Boxer For those who like to know the author.

Big and small - you might get away with it, can't see any strict rule why both guards can't be the same size? You can always tell one from the other by the gap in the top wave crests.

This guard has just turned up, surprisingly most of these angled guards have a thin crescent moon as part of the design. [why?]