A kinko kozuka, the decorated handle of the small knife carried in a Japanese sword scabbard, worked on a shakudo ground and showing two sages. It is signed Hamano Teru Nori. The supplier places the maker in Yedo in the mid-19th century, working with Haru China, and cites page 546 of the Baur collection catalogue as a reference. It is listed as a used antique fitting.

For a South Carolina collector of Japanese sword fittings this is a signed, published piece, which is the combination that gives a kozuka its standing: a known Hamano-school name on the back and a catalogue reference to check it against. It can be displayed on its own in a fittings case or matched to a wakizashi that lacks its kozuka. The supplier gives no measurements or condition notes beyond the description, so ask for photographs of the signature and the ground before you decide.

Key features

• Shakudo ground, two sages motif
• Signed Hamano Teru Nori
• Yedo, mid-19th century
• Reference: Baur, page 546
• Used antique fitting

The fitting ships to your door in South Carolina with no transfer paperwork.