Tsuba

Tsuba

The tsuba (鍔) is usually a round or occasionally squarish guard at the end of the grip of bladed Japanese weapons, like the "katana" and its various declinations ("tachi", "wakizashi" etc.), "tanto", or "naginata". They contribute to the control of the arm (the right index of the fighter typically touches the "tsuba"), and to the protection of the hand. The "chudan no kamae" guard [http://www.halifaxkendo.org/images/kamae/Chudan.jpg] is determined by the "tsuba" and the curvature of the blade. The diameter of the average katana tsuba is 7.5 cm - 8 cm (2.953 inches - 3.15 inches), wakizashi tsuba is 6.2 cm - 6.6 cm (2.441 inches - 2.598 inches), and tanto tsuba is 4.5 cm - 6 cm (1.772 inches - 2.362 inches)

During the Muromachi period (1333-1573) and the Momoyama period (1573-1603) Tsuba were more for functionality than for decoration, being made of stronger metals and designs. During the Edo period (1603-1868) there was peace in Japan so tsuba became more ornamental and made of less practical metals such as gold.

"Tsuba" are usually finely decorated, and nowadays are collectors' items. Tsuba were made by whole dynasties of craftsmen, whose only craft was making tsuba. They were usually lavishly decorated. In addition to being collectors items, they were often used as heirlooms, passed from one generation to the next. Japanese families with samurai roots sometimes have their family crest (mon) crafted onto a tsuba. Tsuba can be found in a variety of metals and alloys, including iron, steel, brass, copper and shakudo.

In a duel, two men may lock their katana and try to push each other off to gain a better position to strike the other down. As this is a precursor to an actual attack, a standoff before a more important fight is called "Tsubazeriai" (鍔迫り合い), lit. clash with tsuba. Such a minor clash could be called tsubazeriai by those not involved in one.

In modern Japanese, "Tsubazeriai" (鍔迫り合い) has become an expression meaning "to prepare doing something".

See also

*Katana
*Koshirae
*Saya
*Tanka

Images


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tsuba —   [japanisch] das, (s)/...ben, Stichblatt am japanischen Schwert. Die Tsuba der Frühzeit wurden aus Eisen, zum Teil mit Leder oder Lack bezogen, von Schwertfegern und Plattnern hergestellt; seit dem 11. Jahrhundert auch in vergoldeter Bronze von… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Tsuba — (鍔) es el guardamano de una Katana japonesa, su utilidad es proteger la mano de la espada del enemigo, impidiendo de esta manera que se puedan producir daños en las manos. Suele tener diversas formas, pero suelen ser circular y fabricadas en… …   Wikipedia Español

  • tsuba — ● tsuba nom masculin (mot japonais) Garde du sabre japonais, dont l usage remonte au VIIIe s. (À partir du XIVe s., les tsubas ont été ornés, ciselés, devenant des objets d art.) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • tsuba — /tsooˈbə/ noun A metal plate at the top of a Japanese scabbard, serving as a sword guard, often highly ornamental ORIGIN: Jap …   Useful english dictionary

  • Tsuba — Sur une arme japonaise, et notamment les katana, la garde s appelle tsuba (鍔, tsuba?) [1] …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Tsuba — Japanisches Tsuba. Links: 18. Jahrhundert, mit Öffnungen für Kozuka und Kogai, aus Eisen mit Einlegearbeiten aus Gold. Rechts: 16. Jahrhundert, Eisen mit Gold Dekor. Tsuba (jap. 鍔) ist die Bezeichnung für das Stichblatt der traditionellen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • tsuba — noun The guard at the end of the grip of a sword …   Wiktionary

  • Tsuba — Tsu|ba das; [s], ...ben <aus gleichbed. jap. tsu ba> Stichblatt des japanischen Schwertes …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • tsuba — [ tsu:ba] noun (plural same or tsubas) a Japanese sword guard. Origin from Japanese …   English new terms dictionary

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