Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The sword guard, or tsuba, by an unknown artist, is a circular, dark brown metal object. Two elongated holes are cut out from the center, one triangular and one irregularly shaped. Two heart-shaped cutouts are on the lower left. A relief design on the bottom right depicts a man on a horse. The man wears a helmet, and both the man and horse have gold accents. Eight gold flower-like designs are on the upper right. The surface shows signs of wear and aging.