Tsuba with warriors

Tsuba with warriors is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (Germany). Description supplied by the holding institution: The oval sword guard, a so-called "tsuba", features a slightly rounded, smooth rim that is partially accentuated with fine granulation ("nanako").

It is attributed to the "nagamaru gata" type. The tsuba is signed - not entirely authentically - with the name "Hikone Jû Soten Sei" and could be a work of the "Soten" school. The decoration is partially alloyed with gold and silver. On one side of the guard, two warriors are depicted. One warrior rides on a horse along the bank with a drawn bow; the second is in the water among shallow waves. The reverse of the guard shows the two warriors fighting in the water.

Thus the story of the fight between two warriors in different stages is depicted on the tsuba. "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 collection record gives measurements height: 7.7 cm, width: 7.1 cm, depth: 0.7 cm. Published through Europeana; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.