Iron tsuba (hand guard) with mountain path design and scattered nine-star crests, unsigned, Higo, mountain path carving, gold inlay, in a paulownia wood box. A treasured item from a collector, an old, genuine Higo koshirae (sword mounting). This is a popular Higo mountain path fuchi-gashira (sword fitting set), with the Hosokawa family crest, the nine-star crest, expressed in gold nunome-zogan (cloth-eye inlay). The fuchi (collar) is a large one, over 4cm. The Higo koshirae was created by the feudal lord, Sansai Hosokawa. It is characterized by its robustness and elegance, used as a regular mounting, and combines the sensibilities of the tea ceremony with the practicality of iaido (sword drawing). There are signs of aging, such as dirt and rust. The gold inlay is considerably worn. One side of the paulownia wood box lid is missing. Please check the images carefully. Due to the influence of light, the color may appear slightly different from the actual item. Also, there may be some differences depending on the browser of your computer or smartphone. Please understand. Size Fuchi: Length: approx. 4.02cm, Width: approx. 2.36cm, Thickness: approx. 0.86cm Kashira (pommel): Length: approx. 3.50cm, Width: approx. 1.70cm, Thickness: approx. 1.24cm Sword fittings, tsuba (hand guard), Japanese sword, katana (long sword), wakizashi (short sword), tanto (dagger), koshirae (sword mounting), exterior, takunikubori (high-relief carving), tsukamae (handle), Higo tsuba, Higo koshirae, Matahichi Hayashi, Jingo Shimizu, Kanshiro Nishigaki, Hikozo Hirata, Jingo Yashi, Shinnobu Kanki, Rakuju Kanki