This is a kinko kozuka, the decorated handle for the small by-knife carried in a Japanese sword scabbard, attributed by the supplier to the Kaga school and dated to the Edo period, 19th century. The ground is shakudo migakiji, a polished dark alloy surface, shaped with lobed edges. The decoration shows a phoenix among paulownia, worked in gold hirozogan inlay. It is unsigned.

Fittings like this are collected on their own in Illinois and elsewhere, kept in a fitted box or displayed alongside a tsuba and menuki from the same school. The phoenix-and-paulownia motif and the gold inlay against the dark shakudo are what a tosogu collector will study, and the lobed outline sets it apart from the plain rectangular form. Because the piece is unsigned, the Kaga attribution rests on the workmanship, so compare the photos closely with published Kaga examples before you buy.

Key features

• Kaga school kozuka, Edo period, 19th century
• Shakudo migakiji ground, lobed shape
• Phoenix in paulownia, gold hirozogan inlay
• Unsigned

The kozuka ships to your door in Illinois; no dealer transfer is involved for sword fittings.