Artwork preview

Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dark brown, oval-shaped sword guard with a teardrop-shaped hole in the center. The guard features a raised design of a gnarled tree trunk on the left side and a branch with fan-shaped leaves on the right side. The leaves and stems of the branch have gold inlays. The background of the guard has a subtle texture with a darker brown color.

Artwork Details

Date
18th century
Medium
Iron, bronze, gold, silver, copper
Culture
Japanese
Dimensions
600 × 600 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette