Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows a circular metal guard with a dark, weathered patina. The guard, titled Sword Guard (Tsuba) by an unknown artist, has a large oval-shaped hole in the center. The oval hole is tapered, with the top being narrower than the bottom. The guard features a design of leaves and flowers cut out around the oval hole. The leaves are teardrop-shaped with pointed tips and wavy edges. The flowers have rounded petals and are positioned around the oval hole. The entire design is surrounded by a thin circular border. The background of the image is a plain light gray color.