Ōnin suemon-zōgan tsuba with kamon and botanical motifs / Early Edo Period, 17th century.

Iron Tsuba with Kamon, Botanical Motifs, and Festoon Decoration / Sword Guard, Early Edo Period

Measurements: H 75.6 mm × W 74.2 mm; Thickness (seppa-dai): 3.7 mm

Iron tsuba of almost round form (maru-gata), decorated in brass suemon zōgan (inlaid line work) and nunome zōgan (textile-inlay pattern). The design features alternating circular family crests (kamon) and floral motifs, symmetrically arranged around the central nakago ana. Notable elements include:

• Two swastika-shaped crests (manji mon, 卍), a pre-modern symbol associated with Buddhism and multiple samurai families.

• Three-striped crests (hikiryo mon 引両紋), in the style used by the Wada clan (和田氏).

• Bellflowers (kikyō, 桔梗), each enclosed by festooned halos of dotted scrollwork.

• Branches of persimmon (kaki no eda, 柿の枝), bearing leaves and fruit, depicted in low relief and inlaid brass.

The seppa-dai and mimi (rim) are bordered in brass wire. Both hitsu-ana (kozuka and kōgai openings) are encircled with decorative festoons; one is plugged with a yellow metal insert, possibly gold alloy (kin-irogane).

Additional features:

• A soft chocolate-brown patina characteristic of early Edo ironwork.

• Scattered inlaid brass dots resembling ten-zōgan (dewdrop inlay).

• Linear marks adjacent to the nakago ana on one side may represent undeciphered kanji, assembly marks, or a simple maker’s sign.

• Pairs of chevron-like lines on both faces may symbolise a trellis structure, possibly suggesting bamboo fencing or vine supports, common in Edo-period garden aesthetics and occasionally echoed in sword furniture symbolism.

The nakago ana is fitted with brass sekigane. The robust thickness of 3.7 mm at the centre supports attribution to the early Edo period (17th century), rather than to the earlier Muromachi or Azuchi–Momoyama periods.

Attribution:
Japanese, Early Edo period (circa 17th century)