The Tsuba is the handguard of the Japanese Katana. They are not only beautiful pieces of art by which practitioners express their style, but also serve the practical purposes of protecting your hands during practice and helping to adjust the balance of your sword. A heavy Tsuba will shift the point of balance towards the Tsuka (hilt) of your sword while a lightweight one will do the oposite: shift the point of balance towards the “business end” of your Katana.