Military Tsuba with strange hole?

[Kantaro]

 

I do not think it is a Fake Tsuba but the hole seems strange to me and wonder if anyone has seen this before?

What would have been the purpose of this hole ?

Was it intended to use on a specific sword?

 

Kind regards.

 

Paris.

[Itomagoi]

This is a quick way to get the passage for the locking mechanism on the fuchi to the koiguchi. It's usually square.

[Rawa]

It have hitsu ana. You will never see gunto mount with kozuka/kogatana. Probably individual order for some civil defense with hitsu ana was adapted for gunto koshirae. Tsuba is made of brass?

[EdWolf]

The hitsu-ana is used for a leather tab and snap retention system. 

[EdWolf]

Just to give you an impression of the retention system. 

 

[PNSSHOGUN]

One imagines this to be a post war alteration given the existing hole for a retention strap.

[The Blacksmith]

Is it just me, or does the tsuba not seem to have the crispness of the casting that we would normally expect?

[EdWolf]

I agree. The lack of details of the tsuba in the initial post makes me wonder.

[Rawa]

Hole have proper shape? I know about leather covers but this shape?

[Rawa]

Oh ok I see other patern is also common

[Kantaro]

1 hour ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

One imagines this to be a post war alteration given the existing hole for a retention strap.

 

Indeed and I do not think you can have a retention strap and a locking mechanism at the same time or am I wrong?

[Kantaro]

2 hours ago, The Blacksmith said:

Is it just me, or does the tsuba not seem to have the crispness of the casting that we would normally expect?

 

Maybe it is because I made the picture in artificial light?...will make one in daylight:

[EdWolf]

In daylight your tsuba looks much better!

[Bruce Pennington]

Don’t think I’ve seen that before! I feel like I have seen them with the double holes, but the smaller was rectangular for the locking latch. I don’t see how a locking latch in a round hole like that could move horizontally for latching and unlatching.

 

 

[The Blacksmith]

As Ed has said, it looks much better in the later picture....................but, my feeeling is that it is a later casting, taken from an original and altered. Several things don't seem to add up to me.

The lack of crispness in the casting. Not proof of any sort, but a classic sign when you take a copy from an original, you usually lose a little bit of the crisp detail.

The hitsu ana has what appears to be a drill mark in the bottom right hand corner. Perhaps it was slightly misplaced and then stopped and the hole then  filed out.

The burrs on both sides of the round hole are puzzling me too, and I cannot quite figure out why.

Finally, the colour, which whilst looking much better in the last photograph, still appears to be a bit wrong to me, though the colours do vary  a bit on originals it must be said.

To my mind too many red flags make me think that it is a copy, though perhaps an old one. 

My only explanation for the round hole is that this was made in the original pattern for the casting mould to save time, and then the hole would be quickly filed out to a rectangle to a size and shape as required when assembled on a sword. This would be a quick job, and would account for the various differences in the shape of the holes. So, if that is the case, two possibilities spring to mind, either the original tsuba that this was copied from was an unfinished casting, or, that this is an original unfinished tsuba and presumably a late one, hence the slight lack of detail.

 

Hope you are all still awake, and that this makes some sense.........