Tsuba with wave pattern 波 on a background with a wheel design 車 with 12 spokes.

Maru gata (Round) shape, Dote mimi gata (wide rim) border, with Kozuka and Kogai Ana.

• Material: Copper, with black patina
• Dimensions: 75 x 73 x 5.3 mm
• Weight: 123g

This tsuba is of the Sukashi type, with opening work. It is the replica of a historical Tsuba that belonged to the "Yagyu" family of swordsmen. The Tsuba of this school of swordsmanship were ordered and made for a functional purpose, adapted to their sword handling techniques.

This motif 'Nami Guruma' 波車, invented by Yagyū Toshikane 柳生厳包 (1625-1694), is very popular among sword practitioners. It represents a paddle wheel that turns in the same direction as the waves. It is a symbol of using the opposing force, of non-resistance and of fluidity in the movements of the sword.

Historically, the theme of this motif of cart wheels in water was already used during the Heian period. It is a practice of dipping the wheels of ox carts in water to prevent them from drying out and cracking. A popular theme during the Heian period, this motif can be found on lacquerware, mirrors, and the embellished paper used for decorated sutra scrolls.

The wheel can also be the wheel of Dharma among Buddhists. The 12 spokes of this represent the 12 links of dependent origination taught by the Buddha. They include the concepts of ignorance, social formations, consciousness, the constituents of a living being, the six senses (including the mind), contact, sensation, craving, grasping, birth, rebirth, old age, and death.