Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image is a rounded square with an oval shaped hole in its center. The object depicted is a sword guard, also known as a tsuba. It is made of dark brown metal, possibly steel or iron. The tsuba has a dark brown pole on its right side. To the right of the pole is a gold fence with pointed tips. Above the fence, a brown figure with a gold outline appears to be standing on something. The figure has a large head, small body and raised left hand. The figure is wearing a garment around its waist. To the left of the oval hole, a small figure is depicted wearing a round hat and a striped garment. The figure is holding a long object, possibly a spear or a staff. There are some Japanese characters written vertically on the left side of the oval hole. A branch with leaves is visible at the top.