Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image depicts a sword guard, or tsuba, made of gold-colored metal, likely bronze or brass. The tsuba features a central oval-shaped hole with a pointed top and flat bottom. The hole is surrounded by Japanese characters on the right side. The left and bottom sides of the tsuba have raised designs, with the left featuring a tree trunk with roots and flowering branches in gold, black, and bronze tones. The bottom depicts gold and black waves. The top of the tsuba features a raised floral design in gold and black. The overall shape of the tsuba is rounded and slightly asymmetrical. The background of the image is plain white. The tsuba appears to be a work by the artist 古田吉兆.