Description
To those who have katana without tsuba,How about a Tsuba that fits your sword ?
Iron tsuba with gold inlay with a design of Bodhidharma – Japan – 18th/19th century
This was made in Japan in 18th/19th century in the Edo period.
“達磨” written in wodden box means Bodhidharma.
Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to Chinese legend, he also began the physical training of the monks of Shaolin Monastery that led to the creation of Shaolin kungfu. In Japan, he is known as Daruma.
Little contemporary biographical information on Bodhidharma is extant, and subsequent accounts became layered with legend.
According to the principal Chinese sources, Bodhidharma came from the Western Regions, which refers to Central Asia but may also include the Indian subcontinent, and was either a “Persian Central Asian” or a “South Indian the third son of a great Indian king.
“Throughout Buddhist art, Bodhidharma is depicted as an ill-tempered, profusely-bearded, wide-eyed non-Chinese person. He is referred as “The Blue-Eyed Barbarian” in Chan texts.
Aside from the Chinese accounts, several popular traditions also exist regarding Bodhidharma’s origins.
Size = 70mm
weight = 121g
Please have a look at the photos for a better impression.
