Tsuba
ca. 1800 (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 | <i>shakudo</i> with gold and <i>shibuichi</i> relief |
| Brief description | Hand guard (tsuba) for a sword, shakudo with gold and shibuichi relief depicting peony sprays, signed Hitotsuyanagi Tomoyoshi, Japan, ca. 1800. |
| Physical description | Hand guard (tsuba) for a sword, shakudo with gold and shibuichi relief depicting peony sprays. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signed Hitotsuyanagi Tomoyoshi |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Sir Arthur Church, KCVO, FRS |
| Subject 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.180-1914 |
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| Record created | February 16, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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