Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dark brown sword guard with rounded rectangular shape and curved edges. Central oval cutout for the blade. A protruding figure on the bottom right depicting a man with a bald head, long mustache and beard. His eyes are yellow with black pupils. He holds a pipe in his right hand. The figure and pipe have gold-colored inlays depicting flames. The background behind the guard is light gray. Title: Sword Guard (Tsuba). Artist: unsigned.

Artwork Details

Date
ca. 1615–1868
Medium
Iron, gold, silver, copper
Culture
Japanese
Dimensions
600 × 600 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette