I realize a lot of the members of this site are lovers of the pristine, the never used, over decorated- - dare I say decadent types of Tsuba. I have gone the other way and much prefer those Tsuba that were used by the guys who did the fighting not those who stood to gain from it. Even though I am a new member, some comments I have seen made on this site are downright snobbish. Is this a site for enthusiasts or is it for those who want to show off? I noted some time back a discussion on soft metal Tsuba not being 'real battle' guards as they would not deflect a blade from the hand or else be ruined in the process. Can I put my two cents worth in and say that you guys need to look outside the box a bit! There are a great deal of sword types throughout the world that have no guards at all. one instance being the traditional Cossack sabre - do you seriously believe it could never have been used in combat? The existence of Tsuba is NOT solely for defence if it were, an awful lot of weapons would need to be thrown out- tanto for instance, what protection does a tanto tsuba of any material offer other than to stop the grip going up the blade?
Dale from Tassie
