Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The object is a bronze-colored metal sword guard with an oval shape and rounded corners. The guard features a central oval-shaped opening with a teardrop-shaped hole in the middle, on either side of which are two semicircular cutouts. The surface of the guard is decorated with etched designs resembling leaves or petals that radiate from the center. There are two columns of black Japanese characters on the central section. Small circular indentations in various sizes are scattered throughout the design.