Nazar

Maybe it was a kind of makeshift cover to hide steel saya. Here is another example of makeshift covers (source - ebay) put over what seems to be leather field cover. Winter camo?

From ebay

Not exactly a canvas, but definitely saya cover. https://www.mournemilitaria.com/en-GB/edge-weapons/imperial-Japanese-m1899-type-32-cavalry-sabre-gunto/prod_13721

Not exactly a mon. Yet it seems to be related and curious enough to post it here. Interesting, that writing is positioned so to say "upside down". I wonder if it was done due to how the sword was worn per regulations? https://richard-militaria.at/Japan-2.-weltkrieg-saebel-fuer-infanterie-offiziere-m1875

Another interesting practice: sarute positioned to the mune side of the sword.

Seems to be not uncommon practice.

Yet one. This one is curious because of habaki fitment. I wonder if the reason for this mismatch is that they started to run out of parts that more or less fit each other? https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/Japanese-ww2-navy-kai-gunto-sword-4728816675

Hiro, thank you once more for your explanations. They inspired me to buy this photo. It's indeed in the most excellent condition, especially if one takes into account its age. I have no scanner, so I shot photos of it as best as I could. Here they are (made them 1200x1800 pixels).

My kai-gunto saya is also solid wood. I wonder if that cloth was used as putty (to make the surface more even) or for reinforcement?

Great info! Thank you!

Another one. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/sword-authentic-wwii-Japanese-kai-4933955248

A kind of offtopic. Didn't even know that type 32 has a descendant, Chinese Type 65 until this sword surfaced on the local internet auction.

Another local type 30 anomaly. Frome the first glance it seems to be a more or less normal Arisaka bayonet even as overbuffed. Stamped by Riken Kozai KK Arsenal. Yet, the seller stated that the blade length is 240mm. Also, wooden? grips and their screws look strange too.

Thank you for translation and explanation, Hiro!

From the local internet auction. Dated by August 10, 1914 if I read the date right.

Popped on the Richard Militaria https://richard-militaria.at/Japan-portepee-offizier-company-grade

Thank you, Jean! First time I heard about Richard Georgeis was (alas) when the news about his passing away was posted on this board in December 2025. I went through examples of his great works and through his article that Sam aka Scogg posted then: https://www.rkgphotos.com/articles/ktk_photo_document_2019.pdf One day I would like to try such an approach to nihonto relayted photography. In this case I did my best with what I had at hand and natural light. However, I'll try to find time and shoot some more photos with a darker background.

Thank you, Mauro! Much appreciated! Thank you, Dale! Interesting, that photo even has a background that looks very similar to mine. I have to confess, I used "The Craft of the Japanese Sword" for the background of my photos. I am gradually finishing reading this book and its cover has such a nice texture and neutral grey colour, that I couldn't think of anything better when it came to tsuba photo shooting. Yet, I found tsube that even closer to mine right on this board: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/20627-tsuba-menuki-and-kozuka-sale/

And sure, I designed a simple 3D printed stand. The general idea was to make thing that holds the tsuba firmly but not draw attention away from the object.

Not long ago, a number of tsuba popped up on the local internet auction. Time to time I like to go through topics here or in the corresponding sales section, but I couldn't say that I am a tsuba man. Yet one particular tsuba from that batch caught my eye by its simple elegance. So I bid on it and won. It arrived, but for some time I had no time to take photos. Tsuba seems to be slightly damaged in one place, yet I like it like it is. So I decided to share it here. Also, if someone could tell me more about it it would be great. The diameter of this tsuba is 65mm.

Encountered something similar at the local internet auction. Was curious about it, yet my curiosity ran away as soon as a picture of nakago was posted....

Ian, Mick, thank you both for the great input! Ian, it's definitely is the plot depicted in the picture! Mick, thank you for the picture from the book! The piece is indeed a papier-mache as it is made of brown paper and it indeed seems to belong to "Japonaise and Chinoiserie (Orientalism) decorative style made popular by the Empress Eugeniea, wife of Louis-Napoloen, last Emperor of France." And in this case it is even more curious that the legend made its way from Japan to France in the XIX century.

Was going through the listings of a local internet auction when I stumbled upon this lacquer panel. And since it featured two swordsmiths working on a sword, I bought it. It came cheap, less than 50 USD including delivery. It arrived today and I decided to share it here. Is this one of those panels that came in pairs and mainly were for selling them to Gaijin? Also I am very curious about the headgear of the swordsmith to the left. The dimensions of the picture are approximately 307x232mm. I also found a round version of this picture here: https://www.roseberys.co.uk/a0470-lot-494323?el=494323&lo=&pp=96

Number 272 popped out. https://richard-militaria.at/Japan-typ-98-katana-offizier-infanterie-shin-gunto