Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Japanese sword guard, Tsuba, by an unknown artist. Circular, dark gray metal with a central oval-shaped hole. A man in a traditional Japanese robe sits on a rocky outcropping at the bottom right. He wears a conical hat and holds a staff. A tree with golden leaves is behind him to the right; a waterfall with a tree on the left side. A group of three lines of Japanese characters incised on the center. The background is a light grey.

Artwork details

Date:
ca. 1830
Medium:
Copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), copper-gold alloy (shakudō), gold, silver, copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette