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late-chinese-pierced-guard-logo

Small Chinese saber guard

Of pierced iron, elaborately cut with lotus petal border.
Aoi gata tsuba with foreigners logo

Thick Aoi gata tsuba with foreigners

With fine golden overlays, even on the thick rim.
Asian export sword guard with foreigners logo

Aoi-gata tsuba with foreigners

Unusual tsuba with foreign figures and Chinese auspicious symbols.
Nanban ship tsuba logo

Iron nanban ship tsuba

Pierced and chiseled showing an 18th century European vessel.
Hirado Kunishige fuchi logo

Hirado Kunishige fuchi

One of his classic designs, signed by the maker.
asian-export-lobed-guard-with-western-portraits

Curious lobed sword guard

Modeled after a smallsword guard, with carvings of Western figures.
Unusual nanban tsuba

Unusual nanban tsuba

Very finely carved with designs reminiscent of export wares.
Chinese openwork sword guard

Southern Chinese openwork sword guard

In the style of northern work of the 16th and 17th centuries
Lotus border tsuba logo

Assymetric dragon tsuba

Chinese work for the Japanese market.
28 jewel canton tsuba

Canton tsuba with 28 "jewels"

Canton work for the Japanese market, with 28 metal balls in separate compartments.
Early Canton tsuba

Early Canton tsuba

Made in Canton, China, for the Japanese market.
Lobed Canton tsuba logo

Lobed Canton tsuba

Made in Canton, China, for the Japanese market.
Canton ship tsuba logo

Canton tsuba with ship

Made in Canton, China, for the Japanese market.
Five dragon Canton tsuba logo

Five dragon Canton tsuba

Made in Canton, China, for the Japanese market.
Water caltrop Canton tsuba logo

Water caltrop Canton tsuba

Made in Canton, China, for the Japanese market.
Canton tsuba logo

Facing dragon Canton tsuba

Made in Canton, China, for the Japanese market.
Canton group of Asian export sword guards logo

Nanban tsuba, a Canton group

Introduction

Among the genre generally classified as Nanban tsuba there is a distinct group with cha

Signed nanban tsuba logo

Signed "nanban tsuba"

Among the work classified as "nanban", signed work is very rare. Here are some examples of signed works in the style.
Winged dragon tsuba

Winged dragon tsuba

A fine and unusually large tsuba. Attributed to Hizen by the NBTHK.
Peony karakusa tsuba

Peony karakusa tsuba

Executed in "nanban style" openwork with chiseled and gold-encrusted peonies.
Sawasa style guard logo

Sawasa style iron guard

Unusual piece with depiction of a foreign figure.
Dragon gate guard logo

Unusual dragon gate guard

Asian sword guard of unknown origin, modified in Japan.
Compass rose guard logo

Cast iron compass rose guard

A peculiar cast iron sword guard, probably from the South China Seas area.
Qing om a hum mantra saber guard

Chinese hùshǒu with lantsa script

A Chinese sword guard from the 18th century with a Buddhist mantra in lantsa script.
Kiyou Toujin tsuba

Kiyou-Toujin Tsuba

A Japanese style sword guard made in 17th century Nagasaki Chinatown.
Aviz tsuba

House of Aviz tsuba

A Japanese sword guard with the cross of the House of Aviz.
Kiyou Toujin tsuba

Kiyou Toujin tsuba (崎陽唐人鐔)

Japanese style sword guards made by Chinese craftsmen in Nagasaki.
Asian export sword guard

Asian export sword guard

An interesting pierced iron Asian export sword guard that is part of a small group of guards that were made with a mu

Iron ship sword guard

Iron ship sword guard

A chiseled iron sword guard depicting a Dutch ship with a figure on its stern.
Asian export sword guard

Sinhalese export sword guard

A large circular Asian export sword guard with elaborate decor carved in relief on both sides.
Asian Export Sword Guard

Asian export sword guards

Sword guards that were made across Asia, specifically with export in mind.
Canton style sword guard

Fine Canton-style export sword guard

Introduction

Many Asian export sword guards, and later Japanese guards inspired by them, were modeled after

Korean love lotus guard

"Love of Lotus" Korean guard

Description

Korean ceremonial sabers of the Joseon dynasty are pretty small and often exhi

Asian export sword guard

Asian export disc guard

The design, overlaid in silver, gold, and copper, over a crosshatched background shows dragon amongst clouds.
Asian export sword guard logo

Asian Export sword guard

Private collection. Not for sale.

Chinese guard logo

Converted Chinese guard

A purely Chinese guard and not a very ornate one, converted for Japanese use.
Asian export sword guards logo

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.
Asian export sword guard

Chinese export sword guard

An iron openwork guard two dragons chasing a flaming pearl.

Nanban tsuba with christian orb

A nanban tsuba with Christian orb

A near round tsuba with beaded rim depicting two dragons in vegetal scrollwork.

Japanese nanban tsuba

A nanban tsuba

A rather good example of a Japanese-made nanban tsuba.