Wave Tsuba ( Square )
Over the years, artists used many different metals.
They manufactured tsuba from copper, yamagane ( a dark impure copper), brass,
sentoku (a yellowy or dark brown brass), iron, shakudo (a mixture of copper,
gold and whatever else was available which resulted in a purplish black patina)
and shibuichi Although the iron was an early development, it reemerged later
as artists, such as Goto Ichijo, rebelled against the overly ornate and structured
form which the tsuba gained.
During the Muromachi period (1333-1573) and the Momoyama period (1573-1603)
feudal lords and powerful clans fought fierce battles against each other. Therefore
the functionality of the sword tsuba was more important than its decoration.
The Edo period (1603-1868) brought an uninterrupted period of 256 years of peace
to Japan. Now the Japanese sword tsuba rapidly developed into a refined piece
of art.
