Sword Guard (Tsuba)

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image depicts a tsuba, a type of Japanese sword guard. The tsuba is circular, with a textured surface and a large central hole. The central hole is teardrop-shaped with a flat bottom and rounded top, and a smaller circular gold section with a pattern on the left. The tsuba features a relief design in black and gold, depicting a scene with a man on a horse. The man wears armor and holds a sword. The horse has a saddle and a bridle with a long bit. The background on the lower left features a tree and a waterfall; the upper portion depicts a cloudy mountainous horizon. The background of the image is dark grey to black.