Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dark brown metal object, rounded with a cut-out center. Two gold shrimp protruding from the bottom and top. The shrimp have textured bodies, segmented tails, and multiple limbs. The background features a wave-like design with swirling patterns and gold speckles. A blue area is visible on the right side of the cut-out center.

Artwork Details

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