The guard of a Japanese sword.

hand guard on a sword

Guard of a Japanese sword, usually consisting of an ornamental plate.

The guard on the sword.

Hand guard for a sword or shinai

the hilt guard on the shinai. May be made of leather, rubber or synthetic. It must not pass over the tsuka-gawa or leather handle.

The tsuba (鍔) is usually a round or occasionally squarish guard at the end of the grip of bladed Japanese weapons, like the katana and its various declinations (tachi, wakisashi etc.), tanto, or naginata. They contribute to the control of the arm (the right index of the fighter typically touches the tsuba), and to the protection of the hand. The chudan no kamae guard http://www.halifaxkendo.org/images/kamae/Chudan.jpg is determined by the tsuba and the curvature of the blade.