Nazar

I'll try to get that remaining tsuba. I kind of like it too but I am waiting for the bidding to end. As for the tsuba with blue cushion, I entirely missed its design concept. Also it looks to be coated in something.

I bought my tsuba from a local seller for EUR 67 (buy it now). It came in a box with green lining (without an upper cushion). Mostly immediately someone else bought the tsuba in a box with blue/purple lining for a very same price. The tsuba in a box with red lining is still for sale with a price around EUR 53 if there would be no bidding (or price "buy now" of EUR 63). So yes, that local seller made some profit. Yet, I am satisfied with what I got.

The longer I look at this tsuba the more I like it. Maybe I'm that simple person. And funny enough. Tried to trace this tsuba back and with some luck managed to find an original Yahoo auction listing. As I mentioned, there were three tsuba. Turned out they all were in the very same Yahoo listing. Here they are: https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m1229784536

From ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/125913453793

One local seller offered me something quite similar. I refused on account the price being insane and the sword looking to be a clear assembly. Also, the texture on the brass elements of the handle was not dimples but bumps which is unusual for Japanese swords and dirks unless it's late war dirk celluloid parts. Looking at the sword in this topic I think that what I was offered might have been assembly of police hanger blade and repro parts.

Thank you Jean! Yes, Kasa or Wagasa seems to be the case. Yet, even as motive is common, that tattered contour makes this particular design quite curious.

To my eye the tsuba that I bought and its mei (鉄仁) look legitim. Here is a closer look at mei. My 3D printed stand seems to be working OK for this 80mm tsuba. However, I couldn't figure out what that cut-outs stand for? Are they flowers or butterflies?

Here is my second tsuba. Couple of days ago three tsuba popped up on a local internet auction. And again, one of them caught my eye mostly immediately. Its simple elegance stole my heart, and something that looked like mei caught my mind. So I bought it. It arrived very quickly and indeed it had mei. Due to that double cut-out it was quite simple to narrow style and mei to Tetsunin/Tetsujin. Actually, this very board has several topics on the Tetsujin tsuba: www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12900-tsuba-mei/ www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/26575-tetsunin/ www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/26665-tsuba-etc/ www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/48180-what-does-artificial-patina-look-like/

I could only advise not to be in a hurry and spend some time figuring out the best configuration for printer/filament. Another advice is to print slower but with better quality. P.S. I just checked, the stand works OK for 80mm tsuba.

Sure, here it is. Also, if any modification is necessary (like make it fit thicker tsuba), let me know and I'll do it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17pUYB2YR4pjaL58hVuiLtlZvGnh48YXb/view?usp=sharing Had to upload it on Google Drive as its size exceeds NMB upload limit.

Thank you, Dan. Alas, the tsuba on catawiki was sold long before I found it. Actually, I found it searching for info on another tsuba I was about to purchase locally. Thank you, Dale! Many thanks for information on fukure! Since I have only pictures of that tsuba from catawiki, I could only compare images. I more or less adjusted scales, and here are two tsuba side by side. From what I could see the punch that was used for the background indeed to be the same for both tsuba. Also, the leaves seem to be crafted very similarly, and so do the vines that run between them (up to the small notches perpendicular to the vaine lines). All in all, it's a pity I missed that Tsuba on Catawiki. It would be cool to have both in my collection. Maybe one day it will surface somewhere again...

Just stumbled upon this tsuba. Looks like it could have been crafted by the same hand that made my tsuba. https://www.catawiki.com/sv/l/103103340-vackert-tsuba-med-motiv-av-fallande-lov-och-blommor-Japan-mellersta-edoperioden

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