Blade for a Dagger (Tant) with Mounting (Chisagatana) mid- to late 19th century Japanese The chisagatana-type mounting is distinguished by the inclusion of a small tsuba (sword guard), a fitting typically omitted from dagger (tant) mountings. The grip is covered with ray skin and wrapped with baleen, and the black-lacquered scabbard is decorated with engraved butterflies and paulownia flowers, which are highlighted with crushed abalone shell.. Blade for a Dagger (Tant) with Mounting (Chisagatana). Japanese. mid- to late 19th century. Steel, copper-gold alloy (shakud), copper-silver alloy (shubuichi), wood, lacquer, abalone shell, ray skin, silk, whale bone (baleen). Daggers