Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The object is circular and made of dark brown metal. Two oval-shaped holes are cut out in the center. The top half features two mountain peaks with four curved lines on either side, resembling waves or clouds. The bottom half displays a wavy line along the edge and several small gold and orange spots scattered throughout. The surface appears worn and scratched. This is a Sword Guard (Tsuba) by an unknown artist.

Artwork details

Date:
ca. 1615–1868
Medium:
Iron, copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette