Maru Gata (Round) shaped tsuba. Symbolic design of a Shimenawa, rounded Maru Mimi border, presence of Kogai and Kozuka Ana.

• Material: Iron, black patina.
• Dimensions: 78 x 78 x 4 mm
• Weight: 105 g

This Tsuba is a tribute to Hattori Hanzo (服部 半蔵), famous samurai at the service of the Matsudaira and the Tokugawa clan during the second half of the 16th century. Known for his ferocity in combat, he was nicknamed Oni Hanzo (鬼半蔵), Hanzo the demon. His prowess in combat even earned him the notoriety of having supernatural powers.
Hattori Hanzo is also associated with the Ninja clan of Iga, whose defense he is said to have organized during the Iga war of Tensho in 1579 against Oda Nobukatsu, the son of Oda Nobunaga.
It is known that Tokugawa used the Ninja clan as active forces, fighters, spies and assassins. Nobunaga wanted to eliminate any threat to his competition when he took power.
The name Hattori Hanzo was notably used in the film 'Kill Bill' by Quentin Tarantino. In the film, Hattori Hanzo is the blacksmith who created the swords in the story.

The pattern represents Shimenawa 注連縄, sacred Shinto ropes delimiting enclosures, places, trees and sacred stones. These sacred ropes are made from twisted rice straw or hemp. The three strands in the opening Sukashi represent the ears of rice hanging from the main rope. These are supposed to represent the arms of the Kamis and allow the imprisoning of evil spirits.
In Japanese mythology, a Shimenawa was used to seal the cave from which Amaterasu, the sun goddess, had emerged, preventing her from returning and plunging the world back into darkness.