Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The object is a circular, flat piece made of dark gray metal, likely iron, with a textured surface. It features a central vertical oval cutout, flanked by two curved cutouts on either side. A smaller oval cutout and circular cutout are positioned to the left of the central cutout. A small circular hole is located to the left of the smaller oval cutout. The object has a rough, weathered appearance, and the background is a plain light grey color. The object is a Sword Guard, also known as Tsuba, by an unknown artist.