Metal Ito wrap on Tsuka

[WillFalstaff]

This is an item for sale (now on Hold—no, I’m not the buyer) from th Facebook Nihonto Group. It’s a wakizashi and it has a very strange metal ito wrapping, meaning the metal around the rayskin is flat metal made to look like fiber. Anybody have any info on this type of tsuka maki? Custom work? Chinese shenanigans? 

 

 

[ChrisW]

Now that's something I haven't seen before...

[Tensho]

Have never seen that before. The lower quality Samegawa with large nodule Same' very obviously placed on top, along with the mekugi-ana hole in the tsuka but the mekugi installed below the hole makes one wonder about it.

[Bazza]

It is more likely to be lacquer, I think.  I have seen lacquer on a tsuka that one would swear was leather...

 

BaZZa.

[Geraint]

Dear All.

 

I have seen this once before and from memory I don't think it was this sword in an earlier sale.  It's a shame that the person who remounted this tsuka didn't do a better job.

 

All the best.

[Matsunoki]

My money is on the Ito being metal. Imo it was once a flat sheet of ?? Copper ?? that then had the ribbing etc embossed possibly from the reverse side and then the “diamonds” cut out. To achieve the cross-over effect you can see where the metal was simple abraded to create the illusion of cross-over Ito. It was then wrapped around the tsuka…..so somewhere there should be a seam that should be visible. Could then be patinated or lacquered over. It looks like a “bitsa”. Saya maybe an adapted Kai-gunto? Rather clever though. Doesn’t look a Chinese jobbie to me.

[Geraint]

Just for information the seller is up front about the fact that the tsuka has been added and says the metal is soft metal so copper is a good guess.

 

All the best.