Tsuba

The tsuba is the metal protection for the hands on the katana, the Japanese sword. Are authentic works of art and there are collectors of ancent tsuba. This master swordsmith is Masahira and live in the Fukushima prefecture on a hilltop in the middle of a bush. Here is showing a treatment of the tsuba, in order to rust, oxidize it, to give a texture to the metal before polishing. I took this photos on August 2007, this was the second visit to Masahira sensei and he showed me different moment of the long process to make a great katana.