Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows a round, brown sword guard with a hole in the center and a figure on the right. The sword guard is made of metal and has a dark brown color with a slightly lighter brown edge. The hole in the center is shaped like a teardrop with the pointed end facing down. On the right side of the guard, there is a raised design featuring a man wearing a hat and holding a sword-like object. The man appears to be emerging from a large fish, which has gold markings on its mouth and scales that gradate from brown to silver. The background of the image is plain white. The sword guard is titled "Sword Guard (Tsuba)" and is by an unnamed artist.

Artwork details

Date:
ca. 1615–1868
Medium:
Iron, copper, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), silver, gold
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette