Tsuba
ca. 1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword; copper-gold alloy (shakudō), hammered 'stone-effect' (ishime) ground with applied and inlaid gold and copper-gold alloy (shakudō) decoration of a flowering cherry tree, stylised clouds and birds, fields and rice sheaves; gold plugs decorated with stamped chrysanthemums. By Kobayashi Yasuke Masakiyo, Izumo, about 1750.
The tsuba is a practical device placed between the hilt and the blade giving protection to the hand as well as providing a medium for the Japanese metalworker to demonstrate his skills. Early tsuba were simple iron disks but these were sometimes pierced or hammered with low relief decoration. Various copper alloys were later used and these could be patinated to a wide range of colours and finishes and then inlaid with other coloured metal alloys. Tsuba became miniature art forms in their own right and many schools developed their own unique styles.
The tsuba is a practical device placed between the hilt and the blade giving protection to the hand as well as providing a medium for the Japanese metalworker to demonstrate his skills. Early tsuba were simple iron disks but these were sometimes pierced or hammered with low relief decoration. Various copper alloys were later used and these could be patinated to a wide range of colours and finishes and then inlaid with other coloured metal alloys. Tsuba became miniature art forms in their own right and many schools developed their own unique styles.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), hammered 'stone-effect' (<i>ishime</i>) ground with applied and inlaid gold and copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>) |
| Brief description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword; copper-gold alloy (shakudō), hammered 'stone-effect' (ishime) ground with applied and inlaid gold and copper-gold alloy (shakudō) decoration of a flowering cherry tree, stylised clouds and birds, fields and rice sheaves; gold plugs decorated with stamped chrysanthemums. By Kobayashi Yasuke Masakiyo, Izumo, about 1750. |
| Physical description | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword; copper-gold alloy (shakudō), hammered 'stone-effect' (ishime) ground with applied and inlaid gold and copper-gold alloy (shakudō) decoration of a flowering cherry tree, stylised clouds and birds, fields and rice sheaves; gold plugs decorated with stamped chrysanthemums. By Kobayashi Yasuke Masakiyo, Izumo, about 1750. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Purchased from Yamanaka & Co. (127 New Bond Street, W.), accessioned in 1911. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Summary | Hand-guard (tsuba) for a sword; copper-gold alloy (shakudō), hammered 'stone-effect' (ishime) ground with applied and inlaid gold and copper-gold alloy (shakudō) decoration of a flowering cherry tree, stylised clouds and birds, fields and rice sheaves; gold plugs decorated with stamped chrysanthemums. By Kobayashi Yasuke Masakiyo, Izumo, about 1750. The tsuba is a practical device placed between the hilt and the blade giving protection to the hand as well as providing a medium for the Japanese metalworker to demonstrate his skills. Early tsuba were simple iron disks but these were sometimes pierced or hammered with low relief decoration. Various copper alloys were later used and these could be patinated to a wide range of colours and finishes and then inlaid with other coloured metal alloys. Tsuba became miniature art forms in their own right and many schools developed their own unique styles. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.300-1911 |
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| Record created | April 27, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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