Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dark brown circular sword guard with cutout sections. The guard is divided into six sections by five cutouts radiating from the center. A long thin cutout runs vertically down the middle. The left side features a flower motif surrounded by a four-petal cutout. The right side showcases a gold-colored vine design with leaves. A central vertical line of Japanese characters is visible.

Artwork details

Date:
early 17th century
Medium:
Bronze, copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette