Tsuba
鍔
The guard of a Japanese sword between the blade and the grip. It protects the hand and balances the sword. Decorated tsuba are a collectible art in their own right.
Quick Facts
Term typeEquipment and training aids
LanguageJapanese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[tsoo-bah]
Alternative Namessword guard
Readings and romanizations
Reading (kana)つば
Hepburn romanizationtsuba
Word breakdown
鍔tsubaguard
Definition
Tsuba (鍔) is the guard of a Japanese sword, a round or oval plate between the blade and the grip, the tsuka. It stops the hand sliding onto the blade and protects it from the opponent's sword. It also affects the sword's balance. In the Edo period, when swords no longer served for fighting, tsuba became works of art in metal with engraving and inlay, and today they are collected on their own. Practice swords have a tsuba too, the shinai in kendo a guard of leather or plastic and the bokken often of plastic.