The tsuba (鍔, or 鐔) is usually a round (or occasionally squarish) guard at the end of the grip of bladed Japanese weapons, like the katana and its variations, tachi, wakizashi, tantō, naginata etc. They contribute to the balance of the weapon and to the protection of the hand.

Tsuba (sword guards) are used to protect the hand from sliding onto the blade of a Japanese sword. They are art works in their own right and are widely collected. Some koshirae (sword mounts), mostly tanto, were made without tsuba (aikuchi koshirae).

2017年11月15日 · Tsuba – Japanese Sword Hand Guard. One of the most important parts of the Katana has got to be the Tsuba. This Katana part protects the hand of the sword owner from sliding into the blade, helps to balance the sword and …

The sword guard history of Japan began from the Tumulus period. The left picture is [ Toran-Gata Sukashi Tsuba ] which means reclined egg shape openworked sword guard, excavated from a tumulus. This type of sword guards were used for Kanto-Tachi (Ring-head slung swords) or Kabutsuchi-Tachi (Chinquapin-head slung swords).

2025年1月20日 · Tsuba is a kind of Japanese sword mounting. It was initially equipped with a Japanese sword for practical reasons. It protected its user’s hand when he grabbed his sword or prevented its user’s hand slipping towards the blade part when he hits his enemy.

Tsuba (the hand guard on a Japanese sword) were created as a side business by sword-smiths and armorers using their surplus iron for raw materials. Starting with a plate of regular iron, they would cut out a series of openings to create a decorative pattern called a "Kage-sukashi".

Tsuba are the iconic round or oval guard fittings located at the base of the tsuka or hilt on Japanese swords. As one of the main components of a sword's koshirae mounting, tsubas provide both protection and decoration.

The individual elements of the hilt of a Japanese sword are unique in the history of edged weapons in that they are intended to be seen both as funtional parts of the sword and as independent works of art. The most prominent of these elements is the tsuba, the disklike guard that separates the base of the blade from the top of the grip.

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.

A tsuba is a sword guard and part of a sword mounting. It is mounted between the sword’s blade and grip to protect the user’s hands.