Tsuba
ca. 1850 (made)
| Place of origin |
The tsuba is a protective guard fitted between the hilt and the blade of a sword. Originally they were simple iron disks, sometimes decorated by piercing or hammering in low relief. Later sword guards were more often made of copper alloys, patinated to a wide range of colours and inlaid with other coloured metals. Sword guards became miniature art forms, and different schools of makers developed their own unique styles.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword, iron inlaid with silver, copper and copper-gold alloy (shakudo) and engraved depicting flowers of the four seasons, signed Zaiya, Shonai school, Japan, ca. 1850. |
| Physical description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword, iron inlaid with silver, copper and copper-gold alloy (shakudo) and engraved depicting flowers of the four seasons. Signed Zaiya. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Signed Zaiya |
| Gallery label | The tsuba is a protective guard fitted between the hilt and the blade of a sword. Originally they were simple iron disks, sometimes decorated by piercing or hammering in low relief. Later sword guards were more often made of copper alloys, patinated to a wide range of colours and inlaid with other coloured metals. Sword guards became miniature art forms, and different schools of makers developed their own unique styles.(04/11/2015) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The tsuba is a protective guard fitted between the hilt and the blade of a sword. Originally they were simple iron disks, sometimes decorated by piercing or hammering in low relief. Later sword guards were more often made of copper alloys, patinated to a wide range of colours and inlaid with other coloured metals. Sword guards became miniature art forms, and different schools of makers developed their own unique styles. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.31-1919 |
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| Record created | February 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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