Original WW2 Home Guard Memorabilia The 11th City of London Home Guard Solid Silver Challenge Shooting Cup, & Gloss Black Lacquered Circular base with Two Presentation Shields, With Winners Selected As Snipers for Ultra Top Secret WW2 ‘Auxiliaries’

650 grams, 1.4 lbs of solid silver. Hallmarked and dated Birmingham 1938

Interestingly it was the winner's of such trophies that were specifically chosen as sniper's for Churchill's secret assassin's and guerrilla force, 'The Auxiliaries'.
A unprepossessing name that hid their highly top secret purpose, to assassinate senior ranking Germans, to blow up bridges and enemy communications, if, and or when, the occupation of Britain was accomplished, after any German invasion took place.
Highly skilled, often retired, expert shooters, gamekeepers or former munitions experts, recruited into the most secret force Britain ever created. Men, that were often believed by their neighbours to be shirkers or cowards for not joining up, that were hidden in top secret bunkers around the country after the invasion, to harry the German's and create fear and havoc among the swinish occupiers.
Their top secret orders included the assassination of British women that fraternised with German's, and to assassinate the country's regional Chief Constables. These were leaders of Britain's police forces that were by no means collaborators or assisting the German's willingly, but the men that knew everything about Britain's local defences etc. information that must not fall into enemies hands.
Needless to say none of Britain's Chief constables were ever told of their potential fate after any invasion.

It is said in certain circles such shooting competitions were organised by the British SIS Secret Intelligence Service to root out such men, possessors of their specific set of skills and abilities perfect for the killing of German occupying officer's etc. and men that could be trusted to keep a secret.

Member of the Auxiliaries were sworn to secrecy, signed the equivalent to the Official Secrets Act, and often instructed to denounce the British war effort in public, and resign from the Home Guard. All to allay even the remotest suspicion, if the need arose, that they could possibly be covert occupation assassins. Even after the war's end, for many decades following, these men often never even told their families their secret purpose during the war, some even going to their graves maintaining their incredible secret. Some vilified for all their remaining lives as appearing to be cowards for not assisting the war effort, even denouncing it. The epitome of the definition of true heroes.

"He that would keep a secret must keep it secret that he hath a secret to keep." -Sir Francis Bacon

A superb looking and sizeable solid silver trophy, and out of interest it is near identical to the US Open Women's Trophy won by Emma Raducanu in September 21. The 11th City of London Dagenham Home Guard, Battalion Inter-Company Miniature Range Cup. Hallmarked silver. Wartime competition dated, with company winners, from 1940 to 1944. Its most notable member was Major William Thomas Forshaw VC

The Home Guard (initially Local Defence Volunteers or LDV) was an armed citizen militia supporting the British Army during the Second World War. Operational from 1940 to 1944, the Home Guard had 1.5 million local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, such as those who were too young or too old to join the regular armed services (regular military service was restricted to those aged 18 to 41) and those in reserved occupations. Excluding those already in the armed services, the civilian police or civil defence, approximately one in five men were volunteers. Their role was to act as a secondary defence force in case of invasion by the forces of Nazi Germany.

The Home Guard were to try to slow down the advance of the enemy even by a few hours to give the regular troops time to regroup. They were also to defend key communication points and factories in rear areas against possible capture by paratroops or fifth columnists. A key purpose was to maintain control of the civilian population in the event of an invasion, to forestall panic and to prevent communication routes from being blocked by refugees to free the regular forces to fight the Germans. The Home Guard continued to man roadblocks and guard the coastal areas of the United Kingdom and other important places such as airfields, factories and explosives stores until late 1944, when they were stood down. They were finally disbanded on 31 December 1945, eight months after Germany's surrender.

Men aged 17 to 65 years could join, although the upper age limit was not strictly enforced. Service was unpaid but gave a chance for older or inexperienced soldiers to support the war effort.

Its base is a separate entity, and not affixed. Bearing, two shield plaques of named ‘company’ winners, dated Dec 1940 and April 1941, there are 6 further named ‘company’ winners on the reverse of the cup.
Most interestingly the shield for April 1941, states the trophy was was won by 'F Company', Home Guard', of the Ford Motor Company, Dagenham

The base is 7 3/4 inches across, 3 inches high.

The cup hallmarked dated to 1938 is 10 inches high, width at maximum including handles 9 3/4 inches

The total height of the cup standing on the base will be 13 inches  read more

Code: 23892

Original WW2 Gurkha's Military Kukri, Field Marshall Manekshaw once said, " If someone says he does not fear death, then he is either telling a lie or he is a Gurkha".

Part of a collection of 3 original military Gurkha's kukri, two WW2 and one WW1. All without scabbards. with very good blade with signs if combat use and surface marking. They were all formerly on display on the walls of a [defunct in 1968] regimental officer's mess [the Royal Warwickshire Regt, and these items were removed when it merged in 1968 after it become part of the Fusilier Brigade in 1963] also with a WW2 Japanese silk flag. All 4 pieces are being sold by us separately. Tempered steel blade, in very good condition for age, signs of combat use and surface marking as to be expected. serial number to blade still visible, and carved wood and steel ovoid pommel capped hilt.A Superb WW2 Ghurkha's Kukri Combat Knife "Ayo Gorkali" The Gurkha Battle Call "The Gurkhas Are Coming!" Field Marshall Manekshaw once said, " If someone says he does not fear death, then he is either telling a lie or he is a Gurkha". The Gukhas are the finest and bravest, combat soldiers in the world, with legendary loyalty to the British Crown. Superb tempered steel blade, overall in fabulous condition. Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw once said, " If someone says he does not fear death, then he is either telling a lie or he is a Gurkha". On 12/13 May 1945 at Taungdaw, Burma now Myanmar, Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung VC was manning the most forward post of his platoon which bore the brunt of an attack by at least 200 of the Japanese enemy. Twice he hurled back grenades which had fallen on his trench, but the third exploded in his right hand, blowing off his fingers, shattering his arm and severely wounding him in the face, body and right leg. His two comrades were also badly wounded but the rifleman, now alone and disregarding his wounds, loaded and fired his rifle with his left hand for four hours, calmly waiting for each attack which he met with fire at point blank range. Afterwards, when the casualties were counted, it is reported that there were 31 dead Japanese around his position which he had killed, with only one arm.In the Falklands War in 1982 the Argentinians abandoned Mount William without a fight simply because the enemy forces advancing towards them were the 2nd Battalion, 7th Ghurka Rifles. The Kukri is the renown and famous weapon of the Nepalese Gurkha. Probably the most respected and feared warriors in the world, the Gurkhas of Nepal have fought in the Gurkha regiments of the British Army for around two centuries. With a degree of loyalty and dedication that is legendary, there is no greater soldier to be at one's side when in battle than the noble Gurkha. With a Kukri in his hand and the battle cry called, "Ayo Gorkhali!" ["the Gurkhas are coming!"], no foe's head was safe on his shoulders. Battle hardened German Infantry in WW1, or WW2 Japanese Shock Troops, have been known to tremble in their boots at the knowledge that they would be facing the Gurkhas in battle. Some of the most amazing feats of heroism have resulted in the most revered medal, the British Victoria Cross [ the world's greatest and most difficult to qualify for gallantry medal] being awarded to Ghurkas. The blade shape descended from the classic Greek sword of Kopis, which is about 2500 years old.
Some say it originated from a form of knife first used by the Mallas who came to power in Nepal in the 13th Century. There are some Khukuris displaying on the walls of National Museum at Chhauni in Kathmandu which are 500 years old or even older, among them, one that once belonged to Drabya Shah, the founder king of the kingdom of Gorkha, in 1627 AD. But, some say that the Khukuri's history is possibly centuries older this. It is suggested that the Khukuri was first used by Kiratis who came to power in Nepal before Lichchhavi age, in about the 7th Century. In the hands of an experienced wielder Khukuri or Kukri is about as formidable a weapon as can be conceived. Like all really good weapons, Khukuri's or Kukri's efficiency depends much more upon skill than the strength of the wielder. And thus so that it happens, that a diminutive Gurkha, a mere boy in regards to his stature, could easily cut to pieces a gigantic adversary, who simply does not understand the little Gurkha's mode of attack and fearsome skill. The Gurkha generally strikes upwards with his Kukri, possibly in order to avoid wounding himself should his blow fail, and possibly because an upward cut is just the one that can be least guarded against however strong his opponent. 16.5 inches long  read more

Code: 23723

A Most Rare Imperial German State's 'Postal Protection Officer's' Sword

Nickel plated hilt, wire grip, plain single shell guard, single edged etched blade. This is a very scarce sword, we have only previously had the Prussian type [with Prussian Eagle Guard] see page 399 John R Angolia 'Swords of Germany 1900/1945'. This has the plain guard for another Imperial State's service, not the Prussian. Blade half etched with fancy scrolls and trumpets drums, stands of arms, cannon etc. Upon the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the break-up of the German Confederation in the Peace of Prague, the North German Confederation was established, instigated by the Prussian minister-president Otto von Bismarck. Originally a military alliance, it evolved to a federation with the issuing of a constitution with effect from 1 July 1867. In the course of the war, Prussian troops had occupied the Free City of Frankfurt and the King of Prussia (later to become Emperor of Germany) had purchased the remnants of the Thurn-und-Taxis Post organisation. According to article 48, the federal area of the Northern German states, de facto an enlarged Prussia, came under the united postal authority, led by director Heinrich von Stephan.

With the German unification upon the Franco-Prussian War of 1870?1871, the Deutsche Reichspost was established as a state monopoly and became the official national postal authority of the German Empire including the annexed province of Alsace-Lorraine. Its official name was Kaiserliche Post und Telegraphenverwaltung. The Southern German federated states of Baden (until 1872), W?rttemberg (until 1902) and Bavaria initially maintained separate state post authorities, that nevertheless were integrated into the nationwide administration. On 1 January 1876 a Reichspostamt under Postmaster General von Stephan was split-off from Bismarck's Reich Chancellery as a government agency in its own right. In the First World War, a Reichsabgabe tax was levied on the postal traffic from 1 August 1916 in order to finance the war expenses.


Deutsche Reichspost logo, 1925
With the establishment of the Weimar Republic upon the German Revolution of 1918?1919, the former Reichspostamt in Berlin became the Reichspostministerium. After the hyperinflation period, the Deutsche Reichspost (DRP) agency was again spun off in 1924 and operated as a state-owned enterprise. On 2 June 1932 Paul Freiherr von Eltz-R?benach was appointed Reichspost Minister by Chancellor Franz von Papen and he maintained his office upon the Machtergreifung of the Nazi Party in 1933, "assisted" by Nazi state secretary Wilhelm Ohnesorge. The postal area was significantly enlarged with the incorporation of the Saar territory in 1935, the Austrian Anschluss in 1938, and the annexation of the Sudetenland according to the Munich Agreement. It was during this time that the Reichspost installed the first public videophone.

In the Second World War the Reichspost authority spread out to the Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, such as the Reichsgau Wartheland, the Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreu?en, and the Polish General Government. In 1941 postal codes were introduced. The Feldpost military mail organisation of the Wehrmacht not only served Army, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine service members, but also SS-Verf?gungstruppen, Waffen-SS and Reichsarbeitsdienst members in the field, becoming the general postal authority of the occupied territories. No scabbard.  read more

Code: 21714

This Week Had The Privilege To Acquire The Entire Country House Library of a Late Author & Bibliophile. A Collection of Over 700 Volumes, Antique and Vintage, Accumulated Over 40 Years

We were more than delighted to acquire this most eclectic of libraries, lovingly selected over decades, mostly comprising of historical and contemporary novels of fiction, and also books on military based subjects, both ancient and modern

We were most happy to sell, on the first day of their arrival here, to one collector, a selection of over 350 of the former author’s book collection.

We have also selected around 100 to add to our own reference library of over 1000 volumes we have accumulated over the past century  read more

Code: 25200

A Superb Ancient Greek Dagger Blade 13th to 11th Century B.C. From the Trojan War Era, Acquired With. Full Length Bronze Sword Blade From The Same Era

2nd millennium BC. A bronze dagger with tapering triangular blade and median thickening, curved shoulders, flat, sub-rectangular tang with two tang hilt mount piercings. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably Homer's Iliad. The core of the Iliad (Books II – XXIII) describes a period of four days and two nights in the tenth year of the decade-long siege of Troy; the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the war's heroes. Other parts of the war are described in a cycle of epic poems, which have survived through fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets including Virgil and Ovid.

The ancient Greeks believed that Troy was located near the Dardanelles and that the Trojan War was a historical event of the 13th or 12th century BC, but by the mid-19th century AD, both the war and the city were widely seen as non-historical. In 1868, however, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann met Frank Calvert, who convinced Schliemann that Troy was a real city at what is now Hisarlik in Turkey. On the basis of excavations conducted by Schliemann and others, this claim is now accepted by most scholars.

Whether there is any historical reality behind the Trojan War remains an open question. Many scholars believe that there is a historical core to the tale, though this may simply mean that the Homeric stories are a fusion of various tales of sieges and expeditions by Mycenaean Greeks during the Bronze Age. Those who believe that the stories of the Trojan War are derived from a specific historical conflict usually date it to the 12th or 11th century BC, often preferring the dates given by Eratosthenes, 1194–1184 BC, which roughly correspond to archaeological evidence of a catastrophic burning of Troy VII, and the Late Bronze Age collapse. Legend has it that the war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris of Troy, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus of Sparta, fall in love with Paris, who quit Sparta with her and returned to Troy. Menelaus's brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan Horse. The Achaeans slaughtered the Trojans (except for some of the women and children whom they kept or sold as slaves) and desecrated the temples, thus earning the gods' wrath. Few of the Achaeans returned safely to their homes and many founded colonies in distant shores. The Romans later traced their origin to Aeneas, Aphrodite's son and one of the Trojans, who was said to have led the surviving Trojans to modern-day Italy113 grams, 26cm (10 1/4"). From a Japanese collection, 1990s.  read more

Code: 23417

A Stunning Antique 18th Century Indonesian Silver Mounted Kris

Keris Melayu Semenanjong with a serpentine blade with 7 Luk [seven curves or waves]. A very good and rare example of a keris from the southern Malaysian peninsular region of Johor or Selangor. Handle in the jawa demam form. This form of hilt is common in central or southern Sumatra, as well as the Malay peninsular regions. The Minang variant is usually more upright with a more flaring top.
The top sheath in the typical Malay tebeng form, are made from very well selected kemuning woods with flashing grains. Bottom stem is likely made from well selected angsana woods with tiger?s stripe grains. It has a beautifully tooled silver sheath and a plain silver pendoko or ferrule completes the wonderful fittings.
Pamor patterns are arranged in the mlumah technique of the wos utah or scattered rice variations which is said to enhance the owner?s material well being. Traditionally the pamor material for the kris smiths connected with the courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta originates from an iron meteorite that fell to earth at the end of 18th century in the neighborhood of the Prambanan temple complex. The meteorite was excavated and transported to the keraton of Surakarta; from that time on the smiths of Vorstenlanden (the Royal territories) used small pieces of meteoric iron to produce pamor patterns in their kris, pikes, and other status weapons. After etching the blade with acidic substances, it is the small percentage of nickel present in meteoric iron that creates the distinctive silvery patterns that faintly light up against the dark background of iron or steel that become darkened by the effect of the acids.  read more

Code: 22608

A Fabulous Javanese Kris With Pure Gold Snake God Symbol Onlaid on to The Fabulous Pamor Serpentine Blade

Probably 19th to early 20th century. In an esteemed London auction house, a most similar quality gold inlaid example, of the same age, sold three Decembers ago for just over £5,400 [inc commission]. This is simply one of the most beautiful we have seen on the market in over 20 years. A sarpa lumarka wavy blade with a gold naga [snake] in sangkelat [13 waves, or lok]. Ladrang form of wrangka hilt crosspiece [boat form] of a simply stunningly grained wood, which may well be Javan pelet, with a fine gilt metal sleeve covering the haft, with a most intricate and detailed pieced design on the obverse side. In Java, the metal sleeve is called pendokbunton, which is a full metal sleeve. The keris is considered a magical weapon, filled with great spiritual power. In Javanese there is a term "Tosan Aji" or "Magic Metal" used to describe the keris. The keris is replete with the totems of Malay-Indonesian culture of hindu and islam. The blade is a mixture of meteoric steel and nickel According to traditional Javanese kejawen, kris contain all the intrinsic elements of nature: tirta (water), bayu (wind), agni (fire), bantolo (earth, but also interpreted as metal or wood which both come from the earth), and aku (lit: "I" or "me", meaning that the kris has a spirit or soul). All these elements are present during the forging of kris. Earth is metal forged by fire being blown by pumped wind, and water to cool down the metal. In Bali, the kris is associated with the naga or dragon, which also symbolizes irrigation canals, rivers, springs, wells, spouts, waterfalls and rainbows; thus, the wavy blade symbolizes the movement of the serpent. Some kris have a naga or serpent head carved near the base with the body and tail following the curves of the blade to the tip. A wavy kris is thus a naga in motion, aggressive and alive; a straight blade is one at rest, its power dormant but ready to come into action.

In former times, kris blades were said to be infused with poison during their forging, ensuring that any injury was fatal. The process of doing so was kept secret among smiths. Different types of whetstones, acidic juice of citrus fruits and poisonous arsenic bring out the contrast between the dark black iron and the light coloured silvery nickel layers which together form pamor, damascene patterns on the blade. The distinctive pamor patterns have specific meanings and names which indicate the special magical properties they are believed to impart  read more

Code: 22745

T.E.Lawrence. Two Signed, Special US Editions, Published in 1938, Published in America. Lawrence, T.E - To His Biographer Robert Graves & To His Biographer Liddell Hart

Lawrence, T.E - To His Biographer Robert Graves; To His biographer Liddell Hart, 1938, in 2 vols, original buckram hardcover bindings, each 1 of 500 US copies, signed by Graves and Liddell Hart respectively, frontispieces, t.e.g., some leaves uncut, Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. New York, 1938. The special signed editions were 1 of 1,000 but 500 for America and 500 for the UK.

Each volume is, most rarely, un-numbered, and some pages remain uncut, on hand made paper, with the signed Robert Graves edition bearing publisher's printed red highlights on some text.

T.E. Lawrence (born August 16, 1888, Tremadoc, Caernarvonshire, Wales—died May 19, 1935, Clouds Hill, Dorset, England) was a British archaeological scholar, military strategist, and author best known for his legendary war activities in the Middle East during World War I and for his account of those activities in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926).

The month the war began, Lawrence became a civilian employee of the Map Department of the War Office in London, charged with preparing a militarily useful map of Sinai. By December 1914 he was a lieutenant in Cairo. Experts on Arab affairs—especially those who had travelled in the Turkish-held Arab lands—were rare, and he was assigned to intelligence, where he spent more than a year, mostly interviewing prisoners, drawing maps, receiving and processing data from agents behind enemy lines, and producing a handbook on the Turkish Army. When in mid-1915 his brothers Will and Frank were killed in action in France, T.E. was reminded cruelly of the more active front in the West. Egypt at the time was the staging area for Middle Eastern military operations of prodigious inefficiency; a trip to Arabia convinced Lawrence of an alternative method of undermining Germany’s Turkish ally. In October 1916 he had accompanied the diplomat Sir Ronald Storrs on a mission to Arabia, where Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, amīr of Mecca, had the previous June proclaimed a revolt against the Turks. Storrs and Lawrence consulted with Ḥusayn’s son Abdullah, and Lawrence received permission to go on to consult further with another son, Fayṣal, then commanding an Arab force southwest of Medina.

Lawrence was not the only officer to become involved in the incipient Arab rising, but from his own small corner of the Arabian Peninsula he quickly became—especially from his own accounts—its brains, its organizing force, its liaison with Cairo, and its military technician. His small but irritating second front behind the Turkish lines was a hit-and-run guerrilla operation, focussing upon the mining of bridges and supply trains and the appearance of Arab units first in one place and then another, tying down enemy forces that otherwise would have been deployed elsewhere, and keeping the Damascus-to-Medina railway largely inoperable, with potential Turkish reinforcements thus helpless to crush the uprising. In such fashion Lawrence—“Amīr Dynamite” to the admiring Bedouins—committed the cynical, self-serving shaykhs for the moment to his king-maker’s vision of an Arab nation, goaded them with examples of his own self-punishing personal valour when their spirits flagged, bribed them with promises of enemy booty and English gold sovereigns.

Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985)12 was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celticists and students of Irish mythology.

Robert Graves produced more than 140 works in his lifetime. His poems, his translations and innovative analysis of the Greek myths, his memoir of his early life—including his role in World War I—Good-Bye to All That (1929), and his speculative study of poetic inspiration The White Goddess have never been out of print. He is also a renowned short story writer, with stories such as "The Tenement" still being popular today.

He earned his living from writing, particularly popular historical novels such as I, Claudius; King Jesus; The Golden Fleece; and Count Belisarius. He also was a prominent translator of Classical Latin and Ancient Greek texts; his versions of The Twelve Caesars and The Golden Ass remain popular for their clarity and entertaining style. Graves was awarded the 1934 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for both I, Claudius and Claudius the God.

Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart (31 October 1895 – 29 January 1970), commonly known throughout most of his career as Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, was a British soldier, military historian, and military theorist. He wrote a series of military histories that proved influential among strategists. Arguing that frontal assault was bound to fail at great cost in lives, as proven in World War I, he recommended the "indirect approach" and reliance on fast-moving armoured formations.

His pre-war publications are known to have influenced German World War II strategy, though he was accused of prompting captured generals to exaggerate his part in the development of blitzkrieg tactics. He also helped promote the Rommel myth and the "clean Wehrmacht" argument for political purposes, when the Cold War necessitated the recruitment of a new West German army.  read more

Code: 25196

Ko Tosho School Swordsmith Made Koto Katana Tsuba Circa 1400

The strong, softly lustrous metal and very well cut, the large Hitsu-ana, and the antique chisel marks around the Hitsu-ana are all characteristic indications of early-Muromachi period works. Carved openwork clan mon. The Hitsu-ana, made when the guard was first produced, suggests that it is a work of the time of Yoshimitsu. A well worked and hammered plate. According to tradition, it says each time a Tosho made a to-ken, he made a habaki with his own hands, and at the same time he also added a single tsuba such as this.
The earliest Tosho tsuba are referred to in Japanese as Ko-Tosho old sword smith and date from the Genpei War (1180-1185) to middle Muromachi Period (1400-1500).

During the late Kamakura Period large Ko-Tosho tsuba were developed and were used mostly as field mounts for odachi by high-ranking Samurai during and after the Mongol invasion of Japan in Genko Jidai (1274-1281 ) in the Muromachi Period (1336-1573) the Ko-Tosho tsuba became even more common with the development and popularization of the onehanded sword uchigatana as the only sword of Ashigaru.
The most common design characteristic, next to the plain flat plate, for Ko-Tosho tsuba is kosukashi the simplistic use of small negative silhouetted openwork. The most common openwork designs are of mon (family crest), sun, moon, tools, plants, Buddhist, Shinto and sometimes Christian religious symbols. The plates iron is characteristically of a good temper, having good hardness and elasticity. The plate is made of local iron forged by the swordsmith or apprentice, the same as for Japanese sword blades. 74mm  read more

Code: 19741

A Most Unusual & Rare Edo Period Katana Tsuba, With Rotational Fitting. This is An Incdibly Rare Form of Tsuba in that it Has Two Methods To Mount It On Katana. Vertical or Horizontal

An iron sukashi tsuba, cut with four different shaped symbols as kozuka-ana and kogai-ana, and two, North and South, or East and West facing blade apertures, to enable the rotation of the tsuba when mounting it onto the blade. Thus altering the profile of the tsuka from wide to narrow.
The tsuba is always usually a round, ovoid or occasionally squarish guard at the end of the tsuka of bladed Japanese weapons but always usually designed to be worn one way upon the sword, either the katana and its various declinations, tachi, wakizashi, tanto, and polearms that have a tsuba, such as naginata etc.

They contribute to the balance of the weapon and to the protection of the hand. The tsuba was mostly meant to be used to prevent the hand from sliding onto the blade during thrusts as opposed to protecting from an opponent's blade. The chudan no kamae guard is determined by the tsuba and the curvature of the blade. The diameter of the average katana tsuba is 7.58 centimetres (3.0-3.1 in), wakizashi tsuba is (2.4-2.6 in), and tanto tsuba is 4.5-6 cm (1.8-2.4 in).

During the Muromachi period (1333-1573) and the Momoyama period (1573-1603) Tsuba were more for functionality than for decoration, being made of stronger metals and designs. During the Edo period (1603-1868) tsuba became more ornamental and made of less practical metals such as gold.

Tsuba are usually finely decorated, and are highly desirable collectors' items in their own right. Tsuba were made by whole dynasties of craftsmen whose only craft was making tsuba. They were usually lavishly decorated. In addition to being collectors items, they were often used as heirlooms, passed from one generation to the next. Japanese families with samurai roots sometimes have their family crest (mon) crafted onto a tsuba. Tsuba can be found in a variety of metals and alloys, including iron, steel, brass, copper and shakudo. In a duel, two participants may lock their katana together at the point of the tsuba and push, trying to gain a better position from which to strike the other down. This is known as tsubazeriai pushing tsuba against each other.  read more

Code: 16704