Overly massive tsuba

[Ken-Hawaii]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IRON-THICK-TSUBA-Antique-Japanese-samurai-sword-fittings-hand-guard-wakizashi/293042751076

 

As a long-time sword swinger, my understanding of tsuba is that they are meant to keep the hand from sliding forward, & onto the blade. So why would anyone make a tsuba 11.8 mm thick?

[John A Stuart]

I have heard the balance being adjusted by the weight of the tsuba among other fixes. True or not? I'm not sure, but, balance is a thing. John

[Ken-Hawaii]

Yes, absolutely right, John. But I can't imagine a blade so massive that a tsuba this size would be necessary to balance it. Think a handachi with a 3-foot blade...?

[ChrisW]

That's crazy! I was just eyeing that and thinking "its terribly thick" about an hour ago.

[Steves87]

I quite like this, I saw it last night and I'll be watching it!

I have swapped out many Tsuba for balance reasons in the past. 

Bo-hi (or not), nagasa, nakago length, 'distal tapers' mixed with the actual applications of the final assembly (Iaido, Tameshigiri) a Tsuba at 155g is not a bad or weird thing.

I of course, can only relate to modern times, but I can imagine reasons for it in the past also.

To my very inexperienced eye, it almost seems the thick mimi was for the soul purpose of the nunome.

[ROKUJURO]

Ken,

there are AKASAKA SUKASHI TSUBA with that thickness at the MIMI. It looks indeed quite fat, but this is not completely unusual; NUNOME is probably not the 'soul' purpose....

[Ken-Hawaii]

Stephen, what length blade are you using? I've trained in iaijutsu for decades, & haven't seen a blade that would require that massive a tsuba. Well, maybe some of the o-dachi I've seen in Japan....

[kissakai]

I have a Myochin tsuba that has an inner thickness of 5.8mm and the outer rim is 12.5mm

[Steves87]

Hi Ken, 2.55 but it is steel not alloy Iaito. Having said that my Tsuba is regular sized and my kashira is 'solid' for lack of a better explanation.which is another way of offsetting weight

[Ken-Hawaii]

I also use a 2.55 iaito, alloy, & to get the balance I want, I'm using a tsuba that weighs around 42 g. Steel would change that, of course.

 

Grev, has yours ever been mounted?

 

Also, note that this one is probably wakizashi size.

[Steves87]

Also, note that this one is probably wakizashi size.

Good point! Interesting...

[Greg F]

I have this one thats around 6.7 wide and 1.2 cm thick.

 

Greg

[Ken-Hawaii]

Man, that's massive, too, Greg!

[rkg]

I have one heavy/thick piece.  The beastie measures 79.2mm(H) X 78.7mm (W) X8.13mm (T,@nakago ana), 9.78mm (T, max), and weighs 307.6g.

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

 

 

 

[Jacques D.]

Massive and heavy tsuba were used for cutting test.... So not that unusual

[Steves87]

I have one heavy/thick piece.  The beastie measures 79.2mm(H) X 78.7mm (W) X8.13mm (T,@nakago ana), 9.78mm (T, max), and weighs 307.6g.

 

front_scale_small.jpgoblique_small.jpg

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

 

 

Wow 307.6!

[ROKUJURO]

Jacques,

I have read (and seen pictures of it) that cutting tests were usually performed with a special TSUKA without TSUBA. Is my information wrong?

 

Massive and heavy tsuba were used for cutting test.... So not that unusual

[Ken-Hawaii]

Yes, I've researched the same. Besides, when wakizashi are used for cutting, a massive tsuba just wouldn't work.

 

Jacques, do you have any source for your info?

[peterd]

Markus Seskos Book on Tameshigiri says up to 15kg were used. Just from memory so could be wrong. 

[Blazeaglory]

Just imagine a giant samurai with a giant sword... swinging away and bellowing like a gigantic water buffalo... swinging his giant sword side ti side like cutting grass...

 

And whatever he doesn't kill with his blade, he knocks out cold with his tsuba