Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The tsuba has a rounded square shape with curved edges. The metal tsuba is bronze colored with a darker patina. Two elongated oval-shaped holes are cut out in the center. The top hole is narrow and tall; the bottom hole is short and wide. A bird in flight is pictured in the top left. A rocky hillside with plants and flowers is pictured on the right and bottom sides. The plants and flowers are gold, silver, and copper inlaid. The background of the image is light gray.

Artwork Details

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