Spartancrest

Could the eye be a natural crystal or stone? There is also enamel as an option? https://art.thewalters.org/object/51.1265.2/ Coral?

You are likely correct Mauro - I have two others like a display table.

A rim would fit on the latest but I don't think it was made with one - the top section would show a lot of alteration or rim "scar"

Wow Chen! - Great pieces! I especially like the large tsuba in the first image. Welcome to NMB

Attributed to Hirata Hikozo I, 17th century Nidai Hirata Hikozo

For a 3000 yen tsuba - I already overcapitalized on the rust! Besides I only bought it because it was Kawarigata - my latest fad

I think I paid too much? Shoami Yoshihisa 32,000 yen.

I just received this tsuba Sure, I spotted the problems. But I was wondering just how fine, can people weld cracks these days? The hitsu has two cracks probably as a result of damage and why the rim was removed. The fan with the missing "sticks" is bent slightly out of the plain of the rest of the guard. I don't think it can be straightened without the risk of breaking it from the guard entirely. Worth a try or leave it alone? Just a cheap "novelty" buy so no big deal.

Does anyone have access to the Ashmolean Museum and a drill press? https://images.ashmolean.org/search/?searchQuery=EAX.5604

MOST IMPORTANT - DON'T LET THIS COPY, PUT YOU OFF A GREAT HOBBY! You are welcome to ask any questions here on NMB and there are lots of experienced collectors to help. [We have already made the mistakes - so you don't have to! ]

There is another one over on Etsy [actually two in a lot of 9 fakes ]- soft metal without the tagane-ato https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/4341039673/used-Japanese-sword-tsuba-set-9 There are worse looking fakes - I do hope you didn't pay much and as some of the other members have said - just use it as a learning experience. [most of us have bought things we later regretted ] The design is based on a scene from the "Tale of Genji" A love story set in the Heian period around 11th century.

Aren't we still looking for intelligent life in the universe? - We already know there is not much here on Earth.

Where is the "Hidden" bit? Maybe it is a "misdirection" Australian tsuba? [The stars are just lined up to confuse the viewer ]

Trickster "Kitsune" guarding a treasure?

Welcome to NMB James! a GUNTO lock It would help James if we had an idea of the size of the guard, these examples show where a locking mechanism was fitted to secure the tsuba to the saya - If your guard is bigger the hole would not be for such a mechanism, but if the guard is small possibly for a tanto then a lock may be the reason there is a squarish hole in yours. However there are a number of guards that do have square or rectangular "hitsu" such as this example From David Stiles on a post from 2025 Many examples of sukashi tsuba with squared hitsu in this thread but also a number of solid plate pieces which might help.