Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows a dark brown sword guard with rounded corners and a gold edge. The guard features a central oval-shaped hole and two smaller oval holes on either side. The guard depicts a raised design of a figure on the right and an animal on the bottom. The figure on the right appears to be a person with a necklace and bracelets; they hold an object in their right hand. The animal on the bottom resembles a dragon. The guard has a textured surface with various patterns and designs throughout. The background of the image is off-white.

Artwork details

Date:
ca. 1615–1868
Medium:
Iron, gold, copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette