Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Black circular sword guard with textured surface. Two oval cutouts on either side, and a larger central oval cutout with a dark blue interior. A gold fish on top right and a bronze-colored fish on bottom left. Both fish have yellow fins.

Artwork Details

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