Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The tsuba has a brown background. The tsuba is roughly oval shaped with rounded edges. A blue oval shape is on the left side. A triangular shape resembling a sword is in the center. A horse is on the upper left side. A man playing a drum is on the bottom right side. The man has a large head and small body. The man wears a necklace. The man holds two drums. The horse and man are made of gold and silver. The blue oval and triangular shapes have a gold outline.

Artwork Details

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