The piece depicts the traditional scene of Bodhidharma during his nine years of cross-legged meditation facing a cave. The surface is finished in a coarse style to represent the cave itself. A sword guard, called a tsuba, is the fitted piece between the blade and the handle of a Japanese sword. It protects the hand from sliding onto the sharp edge and from contact with an opponent’s blade, and it also helps balance the sword and can be decorated as an art object.