Tsuba with Crest

Tsuba with Crest is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Museum description: The sword guard curved like leaves on four sides, a so-called "tsuba", belongs to the "mokkô gata" type because of its quatrefoil shape.

Stylistically, this tsuba is attributed to the "Umetada" school. The decoration shows two openwork four-petaled cherry blossoms imitating a crest. "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 an auxiliary knife ("kozuka") and a hair-arranging needle/bodkin ("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 status. They embodied the aesthetic principles and social standing of the owner. Literature: The museum record gives measurements height: 8.15 cm, width: 8.05 cm, depth: 0.4 cm (overall). 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.