What material is the dragon tsuba made of?

The tsuba is crafted from real copper with a gold-toned dragon sculpture featuring blue cloisonne enamel accents on the wings and body. The detail extends to individual scales, curved horns, and inset blue eyes.

What colors and materials make up the fittings?

The tsuka is wrapped in white PU samegawa and white ito with gold menuki accents. The tsuba is a gold-tone alloy square with ornate scroll engraving. The hardwood saya is piano-lacquer black with a black-and-white braided sageo.

How is the black-red dragon saya made?

The saya is hardwood with a lacquer finish - black base with red dragon-pattern detailing running the full length. The black-and-red braided sageo cord wraps the center, matching the saya's two-tone color scheme.

How does rosewood saya differ visually from natural hardwood saya?

Rosewood sayas are cut from a denser, tighter-grained timber that typically displays a rich reddish-brown to deep burgundy tone with fine, almost parallel grain lines. The natural color is consistent enough that it pairs well with gold tsuba hardware, creating a warm, jewel-like contrast. Natural hardwood sayas — often featuring woods like magnolia or similar light hardwoods — tend toward honey, cream, or pale amber tones with a more open, expressive grain pattern. They give the piece a quieter, more organic character that suits minimalist or earth-toned displays. Neither is superior; the choice is purely aesthetic and depends on the color palette of your display space and the other pieces surrounding it.

What is the tsuka wrapping material and color?

Updated Mar 2026

The tsuka uses real white samegawa as the base layer with olive-green ito cord applied in the knot paper wraps technique, forming diamond-shaped windows over the rayskin. The handle is built on a full-tang core for structural integrity throughout the grip.