Tsuba
1857 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This hand guard for a sword, tsuba, is made of copper in a faint mokko shape, resembling a quatrefoil. It is pierced with an image of a butterfly, encrusted in gold with violet and aster plants, and inlaid with one large and two small butterflies. The surface is covered with a punched pattern of raised dots, a technique called nanako, which is carried over the inlay.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | copper inlaid with copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudo</i>), copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>) and gold |
| Brief description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword, copper inlaid with copper-gold alloy (shakudo), copper-silver alloy (shibuichi) and gold depicting butterflies and plants, signed made to order by Wada Isshin Bizan Kakuo as part of a complete set in the spring of the fourth year of Ansei [=1857], Japan. |
| Physical description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword, copper inlaid with copper-gold alloy (shakudo), copper-silver alloy (shibuichi) and gold depicting butterflies and plants, signed made to order by Wada Isshin Bizan Kakuo as part of a complete set in the spring of the fourth year of Ansei. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | signed made to order by Wada Isshin Bizan Kakuo as part of a complete set in the spring of the fourth year of Ansei |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This hand guard for a sword, tsuba, is made of copper in a faint mokko shape, resembling a quatrefoil. It is pierced with an image of a butterfly, encrusted in gold with violet and aster plants, and inlaid with one large and two small butterflies. The surface is covered with a punched pattern of raised dots, a technique called nanako, which is carried over the inlay. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.32-1920 |
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| Record created | February 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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