Sword Guard (Tsuba)

Cleveland Museum of Art

The sword guard, titled "Sword Guard (Tsuba)" and attributed to an unknown artist, is a circular metal piece with a dark brown color and a textured surface. The guard features a central oval-shaped cutout, flanked by two vertical lines that extend from the top and bottom of the oval to the edge of the circle. Three horizontal lines intersect the vertical lines, one at the top and two at the bottom. The circle's interior contains cutout designs resembling leaves and stems on either side of the oval cutout. The background of the image transitions from black at the top to gray at the bottom.