What is this tsuba theme?

[Ken-Hawaii]

 

It sort of looks like small plants, maybe bean sprouts, but I really have no idea.

[Bugyotsuji]

Haha, good puzzle, Ken.

 

Loving the Amida Yasuri, btw.

[Bugyotsuji]

 

Ken, just throwing this in, but these in the photo are are baby aoi cotyledons, futaba-aoi. Tokugawa beginnings........?

From halfway down this page: https://botanicaljapan.com/344.html

[Ken-Hawaii]

It does look sort of like that, Piers, but I don't understand "Tokugawa beginnings."

 

This is an eBay tsuba, by the way, but one I was thnking of bidding on.

[Bugyotsuji]

The Tokugawa used the Aoi Mon, Ken, so to show young sprouts could be a suggestion of how the Tokugawa family found its roots, went way back in Bushi history...?

Or an aspiration for a young heart to grow up into a Tokugawa (aoi) supporter? How large is this tsuba?

 

Actually your spouts show an indentation on both sides, so I am even less certain now. Even Daikon cotyledons look closer.

[Ken-Hawaii]

It's 7.3 cm, Piers. Does size matter (no pun intended)?

[Bugyotsuji]

Ah, not small then! 

 

Sometimes a tsuba on a Chigo blade will show such symbolism. I saw one with acorns on it the other day, suggesting/hoping that the young bearer would one day be an oak tree. (or an upstanding member of the Makino or Yamauchi, or some such family using an oak-leaf Mon.)

[Ken-Hawaii]

Chigo, like a boy's blade?