Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dark gray sword guard with a geometric pattern cut out on the surface. The guard is shaped like a rounded hexagon with a scalloped edge. A large, narrow, triangular cutout runs vertically down the center. Two oval cutouts are on either side of the triangle. The geometric pattern is made up of interlocking lines. The background of the image is light gray.

Artwork details

Date:
ca. 1615–1868
Medium:
Copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette