Taketora Tsuba - T094

This made in Japan Tsuba features bamboo & tiger design. The first appearance of the tiger in Japanese literature is in the Nihon Shoki (720) and tells the story of a Japanese ambassador in the Korean peninsula who had his child grabbed by a tiger. He pursued the tiger, slew it with his sword, and brought back its skin with him to Japan. Tigers not being indigenous to Japan, they mainly looked mysterious and "cool" to the Japanese over the centuries and it came to symbolize bravery and dignity. Because the tiger was thought to be especially protective of its young, lucky tiger goods were used to pray for the health and safety of children. Bamboo is found all over Japan and is frequently used in construction and handicrafts, which explains its omnipresence in all aspects of Japanese culture. Because of its strong root, it's a symbol of prosperity. Simple and unadorned, the bamboo is also symbolic of purity and innocence, which is a concept found in many Japanese expressions such as "Take o watta youna hito" which literally means "a man like fresh-split bamboo" and refers to a man with a frank nature.

• Material: Copper plated iron, with gold & silver gilding
• Weight: 126 g
• Vertical height: 77.5 mm
• Horizontal width: 73 mm
• Thickness: 3.7 mm