Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The individual elements of the hilt of a Japanese sword are unique in the history of edged weapons in that they are intended to be seen both as funtional parts of the sword and as independent works of art. The most prominent of these elements is the tsuba, the disklike guard that separates the base of the blade from the top of the grip. The decoration of tsuba encompasses a wide range of themes: naturalistic scenes, secular stories, and, as this tsuba demonstrates, religious symbolism.

The decoration on this example features a conch shell entwined with tasseled cords, executed in pierced and chiseled iron with silvered and gilt highlights. The conch shell is one of the Eight Glorious Buddhist Emblems, or the Eight Auspicious Symbols, which represent the venration of the Buddha. They appear both in the context of religious rituals and as decoration for objects of everyday use. The conch shell signifies victory and represents the dissemination and the strength of Buddhist doctrine. These meaning evolved in part as a result of the military use of the conch as a signaling trumpet. In this capacity, and as a ritual object, the conch is closely identified with the yamabushi.