Goto Tsunemasa Hana-ikada

On this nearly round (maru gata) tsuba, carved from the iron plate using a technique called sukidashi-bori, we see cherry blossoms with touches of gold (iroe) and also a raft.

This design is called “Hana-ikada no zu tsuba,” which means “flower raft,” giving us a reference to the season of spring.
The flower raft motif alludes to the romantic atmosphere when rafters are accompanied by cherry blossoms falling into the river in spring, a scene for which the rivers in Kyoto such as Ogigawa, Katsuragawa and Hozugawa were particularly famous.