Tsuba with Guardian Lions

Tsuba with Guardian Lions is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Museum description: The egg-shaped sword guard, a so-called "tsuba", features a slightly rounded, thickened rim with a running meander band.

It belongs to the "nagamaru gata" type. On one side of the guard, two guardian lions, so-called "shishi", can be made out in the thicket of tendrils and foliage. The other side is decorated with damascened tendrils of silver. The guard is attributed to the "namban" style. The term Namban referred to Europeans, who without exception reached Japan from the south. Accordingly, they were designated as "nambanjin" (= southern barbarians).

If the design of a tsuba was created under the influence of the pommels of rapiers imported from Europe in the 17th century, it is committed to the "namban" style. These tsuba were usually produced in Hizen Province. "Tsuba" are Japanese sword guards made of iron, copper, or copper alloys that betwee The museum record gives measurements height: 8.3 cm, width: 7.7 cm, depth: 0.5 cm. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.