Aoi-gata (葵形)
Japanese word for a sword guard shape. Literelly "hollyhock shape".
Nanban tetsu (南蠻鉃)
Literally: Southern barbarian steel.
Kiyou-Toujin Tsuba
A Japanese style sword guard made in 17th century Nagasaki Chinatown.
Tachi tsuba of nanban tetsu
A rare 17th-century sword guard made of foreign steel.
Kusarigama (鎖鎌)
A Japanese scythe weapon with weight and chain.
House of Aviz tsuba
A Japanese sword guard with the cross of the House of Aviz.
Hisayuki (久隨)
A Japanese maker of sword mounts, active in the Edo period.
Shibuichi (四分一)
A copper-silver alloy used to make Japanese sword mounts.
Fuchi kashira by Hisayuki
A beautiful signed Japanese ferrule and pommel plate.
Classic Choshu ship tsuba
The work nice and crisp, the execution has a naturalistic charm to it.
Ono school ship tsuba
Description
A classic Japanese ship tsuba with a motif called “kazeho” (風帆) or “b
Ezo style tsuba
Introduction
What are today known as "Ezo fittings" are a style of Japanese sword mounts that are character
A Japanese nanban style tsuba
Description
An interesting little sword guard, of fairly simple form with designs carved i
Asian Export sword guard
Private collection. Not for sale.
A Japanese kusarigama
The Japanese kusarigama is a variation of the gama, a scythe-like weapon that was likely inspired
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Things Chinese, 1719
Description
A Japanese volume from the 唐土訓蒙圖彚 or "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Things Chinese", it was publi
A nanban kozuka / kogatana
Nanban kozuka are extremely rare, and this is a particularly fine example.
Converted Chinese guard
A purely Chinese guard and not a very ornate one, converted for Japanese use.
Nanban tsuba & Asian export sword guards
For long, "nanban tsuba" literally "Southern barbarian sword-guards" have been a catch-all classification for sword guards for Japanese swords (tsuba), that show foreign influence.
Chinese export sword guard
An iron openwork guard two dragons chasing a flaming pearl.
A nanban tsuba with Christian orb
A near round tsuba with beaded rim depicting two dragons in vegetal scrollwork.
A nanban tsuba
A rather good example of a Japanese-made nanban tsuba.