Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

Kanō Natsuo

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A sword guard is oval with a wide, triangular opening in its center; the guard is primarily dark gray with a brown bird standing on a branch on the bottom right; the bird's head points left. A frog sits on a branch with yellow flowers near the top right; its head also points left. The guard's surface has scratched marks and a thin, rounded border; the background behind it is light gray.

Artwork details

Date:
mid-19th century
Medium:
Copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), copper-gold alloy (shakudō), gold, silver, copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette