Tsuba with Swimming Catfish

Tsuba with Swimming Catfish is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (Germany). Description supplied by the holding institution: The slightly oval sword guard, a so-called "tsuba", has a slightly rounded rim and belongs to the "nagamaru gata" type. The surface is irregularly hammered. In places, the gold damascening is heavily abraded. The guard is signed "Shôami" and is a work of the school of the same name. On one side of the guard a catfish is visible in relief with damascened eyes of gold. At the bottom left is an openwork piercing in the shape of a double gourd. "Tsuba" are Japanese sword guards made of iron, copper, or copper alloys that sit between the grip and the blade of a sword. In the center of the sword guard there is an opening for the tang of the sword. Two further openings are intended for a utility knife ("kozuka") and a sword needle ("kôgai"). Tsuba protected the hand from the opponent's sword and from the danger of slipping onto one's own blade during a thrust. In Japan, tsuba possessed status symbol. They… The collection record gives measurements Height: 8.6 cm, Width: 8.0 cm, Depth: 0.9 cm. Published through Europeana; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.