SEVEN IRON TSUBA (SWORD GUARDS) Edo period (1615-1868), 18th to 19th century (7)SEVEN IRON TSUBA (SWORD GUARDS)Edo period (1615-1868), 18th to 19th centuryThe first circular, chiselled with landscapes; the second circular, with Tekkai Sennin exhaling his double, a pine tree on the reverse, signed Naomichi and sealed; the third oval, with chrysanthemums floating on waves; the fourth mokkogata, etched with a woodgrain pattern; the fifth nearly circular, with a sage studying a scroll in a grotto, signed Nagato Shirantei Ta Yukimitsu eru (Haynes 12423); the sixth with cherry blossoms and waves (gold details), signed Bushu no ju Masatoshi; the last with massed chrysanthemum blossoms, signed Ito Seibi with a kao. The smallest: 6.1cm (2 3/8in) high; the largest: 8cm (3 1/8in) high. (7).Some of the less well-known sword-fitting signatures have been identified by their reference number in Robert E. Haynes, The Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists, Ellwangen, Germany, Nihon Art Publishers, 2001.