Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

Hirata School

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows a sword guard, tsuba, that is black with a rounded shape and scalloped edge. Two large C-shaped cutouts are on either side of a central triangular cutout. The guard features gold inlaid designs resembling tree branches with green and iridescent inlays. A small heart-shaped cutout is at the bottom and another small cutout is at the top. The background of the image is light gray.

Artwork Details

Date
ca. 1615–1868
Medium
Copper-gold alloy (shakudō), gold, enameled cloisonné (shippō), copper
Culture
Japanese
Dimensions
600 × 600 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette