Sword Guard (Tsuba)

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image depicts a circular sword guard, known as a tsuba. The tsuba is made of dark brown metal with a textured surface and features a central oval-shaped hole. The guard has a decorative design consisting of curved, flame-like protrusions along the top edge and two birds on either side of the center hole. The birds are positioned horizontally, facing each other, with their beaks pointing towards the center. The background of the image transitions from dark gray at the top to light gray at the bottom. The artist and title of the piece are identified as Tsuba.