TSUBA GLOSSARY

Glossary for Tsuba

A compilation of glossary's

鍔 - Tsuba Kanji

当金	Ategane	A metal plug placed in the Kozuka or Kogai-ana. Also refered to as Ume ( 埋 )
縮緬	Chirimen	AA crape paper finish.
土手耳	Dote-mimi	A rounded raised rim.
覆輪	Fukurin	An outer rim cover on a tsuba, usually in Shakado, Gold or some other soft metal.
形 (型)	Gata (Kata)	This means Shape, Maru Gata is Round Shape.
	Guri-bori	A welding of layers of copper and shakudo which is then carved to give the impression of a carved laquer.
	Hikone-bori	The original style of carving of the Soten school. It is a combination of low relief, line carving, some shishiai, detailed iroe inlay and elaborate openwork.
平	Hira	The Surface of the Tsuba.
櫃穴	Hitsu (-bitsu ) -ana	Hole in the guard to accomodate the Kozuka and Koagai. Looking form the front, the Kozuka hole is on the left side and the Kogai hole is on the right.
	Iro-e	Colours like gold and silver pasted or burned onto the carved metal plates.
	Ishime-ji	Grain or veins suggesting a stone surface.
地金 (心鉄)	Jigane (Shingane)	The basic metal or base metal of a tsuba.
地透	Ji Sukashi	An open work method in which most of the iron of the flat body is removed to create the outline of a shape or shapes..
影絵透	Kage-Sukashi	Negative silhouette used in the Ji-Sukashi method.
管耳	Kan-mimi	Thicker rounder raised rims. ( note; Thicker and rounder than Dote-mimi )
角耳	Kaku-mimi	A squared rim.
鎌倉	Kamakura ( tsuba )	Thin Katchushi type sword guards dating from the late Muromachi period. The scenic motifs are created by shallow relief carving.
	Kata-kiri-bori (one-sided carving)	This technique uses a chisel with a tip like that used in woodworking to draw lines of varying thickness and depth.
毛彫	Ke-bori (line carving)	Hair-thin line carving of consistent depth and width. A chisel slightly rounded leaves a U-shaped line: maru ke-bori.
	Keri-bori (kick carving)	This method uses a chisel with a flattened, thinner tip; a corner is allowed to rise and 'kick up', in contrast to ke-bori lines. The resulting marks are very delicate wedge-shaped triangular dots.
笄櫃	Kôgai-bitsu	The hole for the Kôgai at the right of the tsuba.
小肉角耳	Koniku-kakumimi	A slightly rounded square rim.
小柄櫃	Kôzuka-bitsu	The hole for a Kôzuka on the left side.
小透	Kô Sukashi	Small open work design. Kô literally means small.
丸耳	Maru-mimi	A rounded rim.
銘	Mei	The tsuba smith's signature carved into the surface of the guard, usually beside the nakago-ana.
	Mekki (or tokin)	Plating. Thin layers of gold or silver cover the surface of another kind of metal through the medium of mercury. The gold or silver will peel off with rubbing.
	Migaki-ji	Polished surface.
耳	Mimi	The Rim of the Tsuba
木瓜	Mokkô	Lobed shapped.
文透	Mon-Sukashi	An openwork method mainly used in Ko-Tosho and Ko-Katchushi sword gaurds. Shapes are pierced in negative silhouette into the flat body of the guard. The image is defined by the removal of the iron from the base.
紫寂	Murasaki Sabi	The patina of iron that has a grey-purplish colour.
撫丸	Nademaru	Oval shapped
撫木瓜型	Nade Mokkô Gata	Lobed shapped on an oval base
中心穴	Nakago-ana	The hole in the center of the guard that passes over the tang of the sword.
	Nanako-ji	Literally 'fish roe'; dome-shaped dots produced by a hollow punch in concentric or straight lines.
	Nikuoki	The subtle variation in the treatment of the surface of a tsuba, particularly through hammer work.
応仁	Onin ( tsuba )	A sword guard on which the base plate is decorated with dot and line brass inlay.
お多福	Otafuku	Diamond Shapped
留守	Rusumoyo	Part of a design that is missing and left to the imagination.
責金	Sekigane	A filler of Copper or Lead to to make the fit between the Tsuba and the Nakago snug.
切羽	Seppa	Washers that are used for packing and can also decorate the front and back of the tsuba .
切羽台	Seppa Dai	A flat base around the tang hole which seats the Seppa ( washers ). Seppa are set on both sides of the tsuba.
赤銅	Shakudo	An alloy comprising of copper and small amount (1.5-10%) of gold. Polished, it is a rich blue-black to purplish-blue with a wonderful lustre.
	Shibuichi	Alloy of copper and silver. Patinates to a dark gray.
仕入物	Shiiremono	lterally means "received commodity" and stands for mass produced items with a "brand name", In Tosogu it generally refers to tsuba and fittings made just after the Meiji Restoration ( 1867/68 ) and sold to tourists on the docks at Yokohama and Edo. These fittings are mostly low end but there are some better examples found.
	Shinchu	Brass (alloy of copper and lead or zinc). Another name is o-do (yellow copper).
白金師	Shiroganeshi	A smith working in gold, silver or soft metal alloys.
	Shishiaibori	A relief carving below the level of the main ground of the piece.
	Suaka	Smelted copper (cf.yamagane or non-smelted copper).
据紋(象嵌)	Suemon ( suemon-zôgan )	High relief brass inlay.
透鍔	Sukashi tsuba	Iron sword guards with openwork. There are two types. Mon-Sukashi and Ji-Sukashi.
	Sukashibori	A sort of sculpturing in the round, generally applied to iron tsuba where the design is a positive silhouette.
	Sukidashi-bori (relief engraving)	This technique involves engraving along the outer edge of a metal design, to give lines depth. The decoration itself is left untouched as the entire background area is carved away, so the decoration stands out in relief.
鏨跡	Tagane Ato	Literally 'punch marks'. These refer to the punch marks left around the tsuba's Nakago ana to help facilitate at tighter fit of the tsuba on the sword.
	Takabori iroe	The design is modeled in high relief in a metal different from the tsuba's main body and is decorated with the inlay of other metals. There are three methods: uchidashi, sukidashi, suemon.
鉄骨	Tekkotsu	Mixtures of iron of different qualities produce distinct texture variations that are visible to the rims of the guards. There are three main variations are fine, granular and linear.
鍔	Tsuba	Japanese Sword Guard
槌目地	Tsuchime Ji	Hammer marks on the surface of a tsuba. A surface that has a hammered appearance.
打返耳	Uchikaeshi-mimi	A bevelled raised rim. One of the typical features of Ko-Katchushi guards.
腕貫穴	Udenuki ana	Two small holes at the bottom of a tsuba to pass a cord through.
埋	Ume	See Ategane above
焼手	Yakite	A method of finishing iron sword guards. A guard is heated to high temperature and then allowed to cool gradually. This method reveals the iron bones ( Tekkotsu ). Note: Yakite is also known as Yakinamashi 焼き鈍し.
	Yakitsuke ('burned-on')	A gilding technique which was generally accepted in the late 16th c. and became the mainstream of iro-e in the Edo period. Thin chips like gold and silver are tied with wire to the surface and attached by heat.
山金	Yamagane	Unrefined Copper. This copper was made in times when the refining process was not as good as it is now. Other impurities are mixed in. The colur is deeper than modern Copper.
陽透	Yô Sukashi	Positive silhouette used in the Ji-Sukashi method.
象嵌	Zôgan (see below)	Zo = 'form' and gan = 'inlay'; 'zogan' means inlaying one metal into the surface of another.
	Gomoku-zogan	"Dirt inlay" in which brass wire is applied at random.
	Hira-zogan	Inlay which is polished flush with the tsuba's surface.
	Ito zogan	(line zogan, also sen zogan): After lines have been incised, wire-thin metal is inlaid.
	Kiribari zogan (cut-out inlay)	Design cut out of a sheet of one kind of metal is inlaid into surface of another kind.
	Nunome-zogan ('cloth' inlay)	The surface of an iron tsuba is covered or hatched with intersecting cuts. A wire or foil inlay is then tapped or burnished into place.
	Shippo zogan	Colored vitreous enamels are melted into the recesses cut for them in the surface of the tsuba.
	Suemon-zogan	A decoration carved of a metal which is different than the surface it is mounted on.
	Sumi zogan	"Ink inlay". The tsuba ground is chiselled and in the course of polishing the inlay becomes united in such a way as to look like an ink painting beneath the surface of the tsuba.
	Taka zogan	An inlay which is __ and is carved.

Major Tsuba Ryuha (schools)

赤尾	Akao	明弥明珍	Myôchin
赤坂	Akasaka	明弥紀	Myôchin Ki
葵	Aoi	南蛮	Nanban
備前与四郎	Bizen-Yoshirô	奈良	Nara
武州	Bushû	西垣	Nishigaki
長州	Chôshû	信家	Nobuiye
大五郎	Daigorô	応仁 (應仁)	Onin
越前	Echizen	尾張透	Owari sukashi
林	Hayashi	早乙	Saotome
肥後	Higo	正阿弥	Shôami
平田	Hirata	秋田正阿弥	Akita shôami
平安城象嵌	Heianjô Zôgan	会津正阿弥	Aizu shôami
彦根彫宗典	Hikone Bori Sôten	備前正阿弥	Bizen shôami
法安	Hôan	古正阿弥	Koshôami
伊藤	Ito	京正阿弥	Kyô shôami
加賀	Kaga	早乙女	Saotome
鏡師	Kagamishi	藻柄子宗典	Soheishi Sôten
加賀与四郎	Kaga-Yoshirô	宗典	Sôten
鎌倉	Kamakura	天法	Tempo
金山	Kanayama	土佐明珍	Tosa Myôchin
金家	Kaneiye	土佐	Tosa
甲冑師	Katchûshi	刀匠	Tôshô
記内	Kinai	埋忠	Umetada
金工	Kinkô	柳生	Yagyû
古刀匠	Ko Tôshô	山吉	Yamakichi
京透	Kyôsukashi	山吉兵	Yamakichibei
水戸	Mito	与四郎	Yoshiro

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