Onin

This almost perfectly round (maru gata) tsuba is a very good representative of the group of so-called Onin tsuba. These iron tsuba are famous for their typical brass inlays of dots, flowers or abstract patterns. What’s special about this tsuba is its size and the fact that it doesn’t have any hitsu-ana added to it. For this reason we can assign the tsuba to the Muromachi or Momoyama period. With a thickness of only 3mm, it is very thin, you could even say crispy, which is also a feature of Onin tsuba. The edge is carefully carved diagonally and in a rope-like manner.