Early tsuba with alphabet
Curious early tsuba with the beginning of the Western alphabet inscribed into it.
Small Chinese saber guard
Of pierced iron, elaborately cut with lotus petal border.
Aoi-gata tsuba with foreigners
Unusual tsuba with foreign figures and Chinese auspicious symbols.
Iron nanban ship tsuba
Pierced and chiseled showing an 18th century European vessel.
Hirado Kunishige fuchi
One of his classic designs, signed by the maker.
Unusual nanban tsuba
Very finely carved with designs reminiscent of export wares.
Signed "nanban tsuba"
Among the work classified as "nanban", signed work is very rare. Here are some examples of signed works in the style.
Yagami school nanban tsuba
A masterpiece of the genre. The Yagami school were excellent carvers of iron.
Enamelled Hirado Kunishige tsuba
Fine work and one of the very few enamelled tsuba by this maker.
Hirado Kunishige (平戸市國重)
A group of Japanese sword fitting makers working on the island of Hirado.
Three wise monkeys tsuba
Japanese sword guard depicting three wise monkeys conveying the message see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
Peony karakusa tsuba
Executed in "nanban style" openwork with chiseled and gold-encrusted peonies.
Japanese tsuba in Canton style
Also known as Kwanto-gata, with two facing dragon chasing a pearl.
House of Aviz tsuba
A Japanese sword guard with the cross of the House of Aviz.
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.
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.