Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The sword guard (Tsuba) is oval-shaped with rounded edges. The guard is dark brown with a lighter brown rim. There are two oval-shaped cutouts on either side of a central elongated triangular cutout. The guard features a design with a tree on the right side with gold accents on the branches and flowers. A pagoda is etched in the center. The background of the guard has a textured appearance with some gold speckles near the top.

Artwork Details

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