A kinko tsuba, the sword guard of a Japanese blade, worked in shakudo with gold highlights. It measures 2 1/2 inches, or 6.5 centimeters, across, and the seller rates its condition very good. Kinko denotes soft-metal fittings, and shakudo with gold is the combination seen on this guard.

A tsuba this size suits a collector in Delaware who is assembling fittings for a sword, or who collects guards as objects in their own right. The gold highlights against the dark shakudo ground are the point of interest, and very good condition means the surface detail is intact. It can be mounted on a blade with the right fittings or displayed on a stand, and at 6.5 centimeters across it takes little shelf space in a cabinet of fittings.

Key features

• Kinko tsuba in shakudo
• Gold highlights
• 2 1/2 inches, 6.5 cm diameter
• Very good condition

The tsuba ships to your door in Delaware; sword fittings need no dealer transfer.