Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows a bronze-colored sword guard with rounded edges. The guard is dark brown with a patina. A large oval hole is on the left, and a teardrop-shaped hole is in the center. The top features four flying birds and straight lines. The bottom right shows a roof and a plant with yellow leaves. The bottom left shows a mountain range. The background is light gray. Sword Guard (Tsuba) by artist.

Artwork Details

Date
ca. 1615–1868
Medium
Copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), gold, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper
Culture
Japanese
Dimensions
600 × 600 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette