Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Tortoises and Chrysanthemums

Cleveland Museum of Art

The object is a round, dark brown metal guard with a textured surface. It has two elongated oval-shaped holes in the center, one larger than the other. There are six circular cutouts around the center holes, each containing a design. The top and bottom center cutouts contain 12-petaled flower designs in a bronze-colored metal. The cutouts to the left and right of the center contain tortoises in a bronze-colored metal. The cutouts to the upper right and lower left contain 12-petaled flower designs in a bronze-colored metal. The background is dark gray, transitioning to black at the top.