Tsuba BZT-24

Tsubasa it is the guard attached to Japanese swords of different sizes (naginata, tachi, katana, wakizashi, tanto). The tsuba has a dual purpose: it balances the sword and protects the hand. The main purpose of the tsuba was to prevent the hand from sliding towards the blade and not, as one might think, to protect the hand from the opponent's katana. Different sizes of tsuba are used for different types of swords:

• katana: 7.5 – 8 cm

• wakizashi: 6.2 – 6.6 cm

• tanto: 4.5 – 6 cm

During the Muromachi (1333-1573) and Momoyama (1573-1603) periods, extremely bloody periods with many wars, the tsuba had a practical role rather than a decorative one. Tsuba was made of hard and resistant materials, and very little emphasis was placed on design. On the other hand, in the Edo period (1603-1868), a peaceful period without wars, the emphasis was transferred to the decoration of the tsuba. It even went to the other extreme, using less practical metals such as gold.

Tsuba are usually finely decorated, and nowadays they are collector's items. Tsuba were made by entire dynasties of craftsmen whose sole occupation was making tsuba. Tsuba became over time not just a collector's item; they were often used as family keepsakes, passed down from one generation to another. Japanese families descended from samurai families sometimes have their family crest (MON) engraved on the tsuba. The style of making tsuba has been different over time, being influenced by the areas where they were created or by the imagination of the craftsmen.

But decorated or not - the tsuba must first of all satisfy the need for functionality and not the decorative one!

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