Tsuba depicting the story of Zhang Liang and Huang Shigong

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONThis is a sword guard from a samurai sword.WHERE WAS IT MADE?This item was made in Japan.HOW WAS IT MADE?This tsuba was handcrafted from iron.HOW WAS IT USED?The tsuba, or sword guard, lies between the hilt and the blade of a samurai sword. The tsbua served to prevent the hand from sliding down the hilt and onto the blade during combat. It consists of an obverse (front) and reverse side. The obverse side is the one that would face the opponent, while the reverse side would come in contact with the hand of the user. For this reason, traditionally tsuba were kept smooth on the reverse side.WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS?During the peaceful Edo period, sword fittings were seldom created for swords that were to be used in battle. Instead, these fittings, such as the tsuba, became a medium for artistic work, appreciated for their exquisite workmanship, variety of designs, and refined beauty. Whereas until around the 1650s, only a small number of motifs were typically used to decorate the sword fittings, in the following years of the Edo period the artists who made these fittings took inspiration from images in books, characters in folktales, and other popular cultural and natural motifs. Swords and their fittings served as status items for samurai. A sword owner would select motifs that expressed his tastes, values and interests.Notice the figure in the lower left corner of the tsuba. Can you see that he is holding a shoe as he rides on the back of a dragon? This scene depicts a Taoist legend involving the historical figure Zhang Liang. Zhang Liang was a strategist and statesmen during the Han dynasty, and is known as one of the “Three Heroes” of the early Han dynasty. In the legend depicted here, he was crossing a bridge when an elderly traveler (a wise man named Huang Shigong—seen in the upper right corner on horseback) dropped his shoe into the river. Either by request, or of his own free will, Zhang Liang retrieved the shoe for the old man. He was eventually rewarded for his good deed with the gift of an important manuscript that Huang Shigong told him would prepare him to teach a king. This manuscript is said to have eventually reached Japan, where it was studied by Yoshitsune, a famous general during the 12th century. Notice the shape of the central hole of the tsuba; it permitted the blade of the sword to pass through. Frequently one or two secondary holes are seen on tsuba; these were made to accommodate other small sword fittings, the kozuka (a small utility knife) and the kogai (a small hairdressing tool shaped like a skewer.)