Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The sword guard, or Tsuba, by an unknown artist, features a bronze-colored metal base with rounded edges and a curved shape. A large oval hole on the left side, a smaller keyhole-shaped hole in the center. On the right side, a crane is standing on a wooden platform, surrounded by reeds. The top right displays hanging branches with leaves. The background of the guard depicts water.

Artwork details

Date:
late 18th–early 19th century
Medium:
Brass, gold, silver, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette