Fittings Thread

[Bruce Pennington]

Yes, it is active.  Thanks for the input.

 

Definitely a custom kaigunto.  That would be extremely unusual if both sets of seppa are one piece!  Hard to know from the photos.  i agree with you, the ito might be a re-wrap, as the diamond gaps are smaller than normal.  Seeing how customized the whole rig is, though, leaves the possibility that it was made this way.

[Marcin]

8 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Yes, it is active.  Thanks for the input.

 

Definitely a custom kaigunto.  That would be extremely unusual if both sets of seppa are one piece!  Hard to know from the photos.  i agree with you, the ito might be a re-wrap, as the diamond gaps are smaller than normal.  Seeing how customized the whole rig is, though, leaves the possibility that it was made this way.

Def. not random mix

[Marcin]

On 3/16/2026 at 10:19 AM, Rawa said:

Def. not random mix

Adding another photo. Rising sun washers and semegane are made of white non-magnetic metal which patinated green. It’s white brass?

Edited March 23 by Rawa

[Bruce Pennington]

Are the daiseppa made of the same metal?  Quite unusual.

[Marcin]

Looks like usual brass for small seppa pair. 

[Marcin]

@Bruce Pennington Yamamoto guntoya

https://ebay.us/m/odtyGq

Edited March 26 by Rawa

[Bruce Pennington]

Nice one, Marcin, thanks!

[Marcin]

@Bruce Penningtonanother mix. Looks like saya for wakizashi [below 60,6 cm] with interesting „gunzoku” tsuka.

I would like to hear your opinion on sarute and horse shoe saya finish.

Menuki are so shiny, could this be rewrap with recycled tsukaito?

Tsuba looks like reproduction.

[Bruce Pennington]

A small matter, but I've started noticing variations on the snap arrangments of these leather covers.  Some have one, some two, some three.  Of the covers with 3, even those have variations:

Posted by @Dick Grande HERE

[Marcin]

2 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

A small matter, but I've started noticing variations on the snap arrangments of these leather covers.  Some have one, some two, some three.  Of the covers with 3, even those have variations:

Posted by @Dick Grande HERE

this piece had leather strap threaded through tsuba ana, probably to keep blade sheathed.

[John C]

3 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

have variations:

I've also noticed there are a lot of variation to the stitch patterns on the chape area.

 

John C.

[Marcin]

Hangers. We had recently example of chain on gunto similar but longer to first example. Someone was claiming that chain is from pocket watch or something like that.

Fuller’s green book.

Edited April 15 by Rawa

[Marcin]

Suya shoten with marked seppa. Blade [Emura :/] looks like cleaned with acid.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/135090391434

 

 

Edited April 18 by Rawa

[Marcin]

 

#winterready bad mix but cool sugata and hamon

https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/103103445-katana-antique-Japanese-army-officers-parade-sabre-double-ring-scabbard-with-field-cover-and-cherry-Japan

[Scogg]

Here is an interesting Type 95 Guntō, with some "bling". I'm sharing here rather than the 95 threads, because these unique features are not factory original. 

 

Note the Habaki, leather hanger, and most interestingly those "monkey’s-fist knot" mekugi and grommet screws.

https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-wwii-Japanese-army-type-95-nco-aluminum-handle-katana-sword-with-rare-leather-hanger-matched-serial-79051?variant=41101181190213

Already sold, not sure when.
-Sam

[Bruce Pennington]

Kaigunto with white samegane and army colored ito.  At this O'Gallerie Auction.  Blade is a Seki stamped Yoshinaga.

 

[Bruce Pennington]

Another kaigunto with it's own take on how to fit around 2 haikan.  Posted by @Matsunoki HERE.

[Bruce Pennington]

These come up in discussion, now and then, so thought I'd post a photo for reference.  Civil sword, with hole drilled through the tsuka top for a sarute.  Found on this ebay sale.

 

[John C]

Tsuka must be a fair bit longer as there is no corresponding hole in the nakago. 

John C.

[Marcin]

2 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

These come up in discussion, now and then, so thought I'd post a photo for reference.  Civil sword, with hole drilled through the tsuka top for a sarute.  Found on this ebay sale.

 

Crazy Jim’s crazy prices 14k 🤣

samuraiomonkeyo is cheaper!

[Marcin]

On 5/4/2026 at 4:00 PM, Bruce Pennington said:

Another kaigunto with it's own take on how to fit around 2 haikan.  Posted by @Matsunoki HERE.

Here You have 5 so either You find with 6 or I won :]

 

http://ohmura-study.net/733.html

 

[Scogg]

Going through some spare parts, and comparing a gunto tsuba that recently came my way.
 

I discovered that I have three, of what I believe, are the exact same style/type of late-war brass gunto tsuba.
 

Although, I have always believed one of these three is a cast reproduction. I suspect it’s a cast copy of the other two. Can you spot it? 
 

Thoughts? Possibly two genuine from the same workshop and one cast? Or could all three be repro? 

Best,

-Sam
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John C]

# 3 looks the roughest.

 

John C.

[Bruce Pennington]

Yes, 3 has less well defined details.

 

Sam, just curious as to why you feel they are late-war?

[Scogg]

14 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Yes, 3 has less well defined details.

 

Sam, just curious as to why you feel they are late-war?

My feelings are the same as yours and John's. Tsuba #3 came to me with other parts that look very poorly cast, and I believe it to be a reproduction. I found it interesting that it appears to be a repro of the first two, but hard to know for sure.

Good question, and I actually do not know how to date such Tsuba; me claiming they are "late war" was a slip-up, and may not be accurate. 

My thinking was the crudely drilled hitsu-ana. To me looks like it's meant for a leather retention strap often found on blades with no chuso and wooden saya + added hanger. I haphazardly associated such swords with later production, but I understand that's not always true. Like our favorite mantra: "never say never or always" 

Apologies for putting a date range on something that I actually cannot confirm, that's my mistake / slip-up.
Would love to hear thoughts.
All the best,
-Sam

[Bruce Pennington]

You may be right, I was just curious.  Ohmura calls it "last stage"

 

He certainly knows more about Japanese military swords than I do, but I wonder how he came about his dating.  From simple appearance, it seems he is going by quality workmanship, left to right, finest to crudest.  That may be true as a generalized trend for the war, but I've seen some really nice tsuba/fittings on gunto from the last year of the war, too.  I haven't paid enough attention to the topic to say more, and I don't recall whether I've seen crude tsuba/fittings on early or mid-war gunto.  Guess I'll have to start paying attention.

[John C]

3 hours ago, Scogg said:

and I believe it to be a reproduction.

I think you are right, Sam. It's not just late, it's too late. The casting is so poor I could not imagine it being put on a sword to be carried into battle. I also beleve it to be cast from another late tsuba.

 

John C.

[Tensho]

Looks fine to me Sam. I think a lot of people really don't understand how rough some of these fittings can be. Attached is a gunto that most would call fake on first glance. 

Edited 4 hours ago by Tensho

[Scogg]

Interesting example, thank you for sharing.

 

I'm interested in your reasoning for considering the fittings wartime original. Given how commonly fittings are mixed and matched post war. 

 

The seppa appears to overlap the hitsu-ana, which I have generally understood to be a sign that the components may not have been originally paired.
 

That said, late fittings can be very rough. I’m curious how we collectively draw that line in the sand between modern crude castings (from original parts), versus the original parts themselves. 
 

I was recently told, from someone I consider a reliable source, of a person in the USA who is now passed away, that was casting “repair” parts in their workshop; and using originals to make moulds...

Upon this discovery/revelation I have become more suspicious.

 

Sincerely,

-Sam 

[Tensho]

Sword was purchased directly from the vets family. Army air corps. Stationed in Japan from 45-46'. Not sure exactly how it was acquired but was definitely never carried or used. Perhaps being slapped together to sell to GIs like the PX swords? But its definitely not a newly put together. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Tensho