Tsuba
ca. 1800-1850 (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 | 'Shibuichi', pierced |
| Brief description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword, pierced iron, depicting wild geese in clouds with two ships' masts in the foreground, signed Akao Yoshitsugu of Edo, Japan, ca. 1800-1850. |
| Physical description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword, pierced shibuichi featuring two geese in a cloudy sky and two masts in the foreground. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signed Akao Yoshitsugu of Edo |
| Gallery label |
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| 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.144-1914 |
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| Record created | April 26, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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