Antique Edo Period Japanese Sword Iron Tsuba Handguard Elephant, 1700s —
This is a beautiful Edo period Japanese sword tsuba that is made of iron with mixed metal. The design on the front shows an elephant with most likely a mahout who’s holding a long stick with a point at the end. The decorations on the man’s clothing as well as the small flowers / plants are done in gold. The man’s face and tool are done in silver. The elephant is probably copper with a silverplating. On the top section there is a cherry blossom tree with gold highlights. The reverse side has a tree branch with gold and silver highlights and in the sky is a bird flying that is done in copper. The blade hole measures almost exactly 1″ long x 5/16″ wide. The size of the tsuba is 3-1/8″ x 2-15/16″. It weighs 5.3 oz. This is probably big enough for a katana but also would work with a wakizashi. I’m sure this is done in the 1700s or earlier. You do not often see elephants on tsubas. Please ask if you have any questions. Old antique vintage retro american history historic us usa united states of america collectibles memorabilia japan japanese asia asian samurai sword dagger knife hand guards furniture fittings metalwork metal art cutout animal large animal steel humor traditional nihon nippon edo period ornate elephant rider riding.
Categorised as: antique
Comments are disabled on this post