Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image displays a brown metal object with a wavy edge. The object is roughly square with rounded corners and has a dark brown color with a slightly shiny surface. It features three cut-out shapes: one oval on the left side, one elongated teardrop in the center, and one rounded heart-shape on the right side. The object has a design etched into the bottom-right corner depicting what appears to be a fish-like creature with gold and green inlays for eyes and a plant to the left. The background of the image is plain white. The object is a Sword Guard (Tsuba) by an unknown artist.