KYOTO MON SUKASHI TSUBA

A large mid-Edo sukashi mon tsuba, made up of boar’s eye, ken, and flower patterns. No, those are not Christian crosses, they are flower stamen. Since being a Christian was a capital offense, not many would paint themselves with a scarlet letter in iron. The rich black plate is good iron covered with granular tekotsu. 8.57 cm x 8.6 cm x 4.5 mm.