Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dark brown metal guard with a scalloped edge, shaped like a flower with rounded petals. Two oval-shaped holes on either side of a long, narrow, oval-shaped hole in the center. The metal is weathered with visible scratches and marks, and small flecks of gold are scattered across the bottom right. An etched design of a tree or plant on the top right. A line of Japanese characters etched at the top. A landscape scene etched along the bottom. The item appears to be a sword guard, or Tsuba, by an unknown artist.