Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Brass tsuba with rounded wavy shape. Two oblong holes oriented vertically. Left side light brown with a butterfly and chrysanthemum design on left. Right side darker with greenish tint and bamboo design on right. Small Japanese characters on left. Gold and black inlays.

Artwork Details

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