Tsuba Hagakure Rain

An iron tsuba for katana without signature.

Technique : Low relief ( takaniku bori ) and high relief ( usuniku bori ) chiselling , silver relief inlay ( takanikubori ) on the monk and copper for the peasants or the plants on the back of the tsuba . The pebbles or flowers on the ground must be gilded in gold.

Representation: In this tsuba, we can see two men, one wearing a hat like the Zen monks and doing ablutions near a tree and the other who must be of the peasant caste running in the rain. We can see two states of mind in relation to the rain, which may remind us of a maxim from the Hagakure written by Yamamoto Tsunemoto, which is as follows:
"There is much to learn from rain. A man, when surprised by a sudden downpour, starts running, just as suddenly, to avoid getting wet. However, all things considered, since it's inevitable to get wet in the rain, you might as well keep calm and continue on your way, with peace of mind, because you'll end up soaked to the skin anyway. This lesson applies to everything. First volume.
This tsuba is sold with a magnolia box.