Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Round, flat, dark blue metal object with a smooth edge. Two oval-shaped holes in the center, one larger than the other. The larger hole has a brown outline and a copper-colored piece inside. The surface features a design with a person on the right side wearing a white robe with gold accents, holding a staff. The person has dark hair. A tree with yellow flowers and leaves is above the person. The left side of the object has a wavy pattern resembling water and a small gold and brown object near the bottom. Small yellow flowers and leaves are scattered around the design.

Artwork details

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