Cut for retention clip?

[Brian]

A friend came across this tsuba last week, and I thought it was an interesting example of what I assume is an older tsuba that was cut (roughly!) for a retention clip. Perhaps it was used on a gunto, and the owner wanted to use his private tosogu for sentimental reasons?

Nasty job though, looks like a grinder or file was taken to it.

Pics are bad...all I had at the time was my cellphone camera.

Pity about the modification, I would have thought it could be done a lot neater, or preferably not at all.

 

Brian

[Stephen]

maybe for a leather strap to retain on a gunto

[Pete Klein]

I believe there might be a problem with where the notch is cut out. WWII koshirae were worn as tachi, and therefore slung blade down. That would require this tsuba to be rotated 180 degrees and the design would be upside down. That's not to say it didn't happen, but I have to wonder if it was a later 'retrofit' of some kind to a sword without a tsuba as in an Ebay sale or something such as that. Hard to say.

(I've posted the picture from Dr. Stein's site http://www.geocities.com/alchemyst/nihonto.htm

[Bungo]

I believe there might be a problem with where the notch is cut out. WWII koshirae were worn as tachi, and therefore slung blade down.

 

also remember not the " traditional tachi style " when the blade is edge down , more or less horizontal...........

 

the later " tachi " style from Russo-Japanese war on is more vertical with the tsuka pointing backward ( excuse my language, towards and up the arse )

 

milt THE ronin