Andre

Thank you both very, very much for your helpful replies and for the warm welcome. The hamidashi/tanto context makes a lot of sense, and the comparison examples are especially useful! I had not realised this was a more normal hamidashi form rather than an unusual kozuka-hitsu-ana issue. (The condition is indeed quite rough, so if I do anything at all, it will only be very careful and conservative rust removal.) Many thanks again — I learned a lot from your comments. 👍

Hello everyone, I recently acquired a small iron mokkō-gata tsuba and noticed an unusual feature: the kozuka-hitsu-ana on the omote side is not the typical oval opening but appears unusually open and almost merges with the outline of the guard. Some details: iron mokkō-gata tsuba motif appears to show a bird with autumn vegetation (possibly maple leaves and berries) traces of gold inlay remain dimensions approx. 57 × 44 mm thickness approx. 2.5 mm weight approx. 41 g My main question concerns the large, open kozuka-hitsu-ana. It seems much more open than what I usually see and visually becomes part of the design rather than a clearly separated aperture. I would be very interested in your thoughts: Is this type of very open or integrated kozuka-hitsu-ana known on certain tsuba? Could this indicate a specific school or regional tradition (for example Mito, Nara, or a provincial Shoami workshop)? Is there any functional explanation, perhaps related to a particular mounting style (e.g. horizontal carrying of a tantō)? Are there documented examples in the literature (e.g. Haynes Index, Wakayama, or Token Bijutsu) showing similar pieces? Many thanks for any insight or comparable examples!