The body of a snake curves around the edge of this tsuba on the right. The snake is depicted wrapping its body around a rotting tree trunk. The head and tail can be seen on the front, while the middle section of the snake is on the back. The hole for the utility knife is designed to look like a section of the tree has rotten away.
<bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37449170" class="extiw" title="d:Q37449170"><span title="Japanese artist (1696-1769)">Hamano Shôzui</span></a>
</bdi>
between 1696 and 1769 <div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1500-00-00T00:00:00Z/6,P1319,+1696-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1769-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div> (mid Edo)
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