Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dark brown, oval-shaped metal object with rounded edges. Large oval hole on left side. Central vertical slot with rough, damaged top edge. Embossed design on right side resembling a human-like figure with a large head. Small gold-colored symbols scattered around the object: - four cross-like shapes with short horizontal lines. - Three circular shapes with radial lines and two small dots. Surface exhibits signs of wear and aging. Grey background. Title: Sword Guard (Tsuba). Artist: Unspecified.