Tsuba
ca. 1830-1856 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| 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 | copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudo</i>) with gold, copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>) and copper relief |
| Brief description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword, copper-gold alloy (shakudo) with gold, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi) and coppper relief depicting dancer's mask and box with fan and jingle, and on the reverse three seedling pines, signed Mitsuaki (Goto Mitsuaki, 1816-1856), Japan. |
| Physical description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword, copper-gold alloy (shakudo) with gold, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi) and copper relief depicting dancer's mask and box with fan and jingle, and on the reverse three seedling pines, signed Mitsuaki. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signed Mitsuaki (Goto Mitsuaki, 1816-1856) |
| 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.949-1931 |
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| Record created | February 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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