Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Round, brass-colored metal object with a weathered appearance. A central vertical cutout resembles a keyhole. Two oval cutouts are on either side. A smaller circular cutout is above the keyhole. Cutouts create a rabbit on the right and an insect on the left. The background features etched grass and sky. Japanese characters are etched on the right side of the keyhole cutout.

Artwork details

Date:
1669–1744
Medium:
Copper alloy, silver, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette