Sword guard, Yukinaka, Hagi, 1700-1750

The main function of the tsuba is to prevent the warrior's hand from sliding up on to the blade of the sword during combat. It also balances the weight of the blade and protects the hand from an opponent's blade. The pierced style of iron tsuba like this dates back to the late 15th century and has its origins in the schools of Kyoto metalworkers.

The decoration of gourds and leaves entwined around bamboo has been carefully executed to include the leaves of the pauwlonia tree. The tsuba was made by Kaneko Jurobei of Hagi in Choshu Province using the art name 'Yukinaka'. In 1888, when the V&A bought the collection of 92 tsuba of H. Virtue Tebbs, it more than doubled the Museum's holdings of these items. This tsuba was made around the middle of the 17th century at a time when the tsuba had become an expressive medium for metalworkers. Tsuba also reflected their owners' social standing and personal taste.

By the late 19th century tsuba had become redundant in Japan, but were avidly collected by westerners fascinated by a new art form and which lent itself to the Victorian passion for collecting and cataloguing objects of interest.