Description
Sword guards were mounted to sword hilts to protect the hand from enemy strikes. They were crafted to be just the right weight for handling. In 16th-century Japan, many sword guards were made of steel or other metals, with designs rendered in openwork. This iron guard features a large openwork “mitsudomoe” pattern resembling three commas arranged in a circle, with small mitsudomoe and chrysanthemum patterns carved in relief on the remaining ground. Nobuie was a craftsman specializing in sword guards in Owari no Kuni, an area located in the western half of modern-day Aichi Prefecture. His guards are characterized by the bumpy texture of the dark iron and by inscriptions expressing readiness for battle or the essence of swordsmanship. This rough style found favor with many warriors. This guard has an abundant, powerful design, even when compared to other works by Nobuie.
Hand guards ([tsuba]) were a medium for artistic expression. The [tsuba] maker Nobuie worked in a style that emphasized the subtle, austere beauty of iron. In this example, he used openwork to depict a comma-shaped [tomoe] motif, an ancient symbol with origins shrouded in mystery.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
July 20, 2026