Sword Fitting Examples

  The samurai sword has many parts to it including the blade, the handle and scabbard.  The handles and scabbard are made up of  functional and decorative parts. These parts are referred to as sword fittings, otherwise known as tosogou.  The main tosogou parts are tsuba, menuki, fuchi, kashira, kozuka, & kogai.  These parts are designed with many motifs representing folklores, legends and historical moments.  The following pages are some examples of these fittings done with a mantis design.  I have tried to include reproductions so that the viewer can discern/avoid these pieces or at the minimum know what you have in hand.