Tsuba with Dragon Motif

Tsuba with Dragon Motif is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (Germany). Description supplied by the holding institution: The slightly egg-shaped sword guard, a so-called "tsuba", features a narrow, slightly stepped rim and belongs to the "nagamaru gata" type. It is signed with the name "Tetsugendô" and is a work of the school of the same name. In sunken relief, the technique of so-called "shishiaibori", a dragon lies on the right side along the curvature of the rim. Its scales are clearly cut and its eye is accentuated by gold damascening. "Tsuba" are Japanese sword guards made of iron, copper, or copper alloys that sit between the hilt and the blade of a sword. In the center of the guard is an opening for the sword's tang. Two further openings are intended for a utility knife ("kozuka") and a sword hairpin ("kôgai"). Tsuba protected the hand from the opponent's sword and from the danger of slipping onto one's own blade when thrusting. In Japan, tsuba possessed status symbol value. They embodied the aesthetic… The collection record gives measurements Dicke: 0.5 cm (Gesamt); Höhe: 6.75 cm, Breite: 6.35 cm [Thickness: 0.5 cm (total); Height: 6.75 cm, Width: 6.35 cm]. Published through Europeana; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.