Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows a black sword guard with cut-outs. The guard is circular and has a textured surface. There are three cut-out sections: an oval shape on the left with a rounded rectangle underneath it; a large, elongated teardrop shape in the center; and a rounded, asymmetrical shape on the right. The center section has vertical writing on either side. The guard features gold, copper, and reddish metal inlays. On the left, there are flowers and stems. In the bottom-right corner, there are several small, abstract shapes and a small, rectangular object with a bird on top. On the right side, there is a rounded square shape with a pattern. The background of the image is light gray. The object is titled "Sword Guard (Tsuba)" by an unknown artist.