Sword Guard (Tsuba)
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Iron, gold, silver, copper
Dimensions
Diam. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm); thickness 3/16 in. (0.5 cm); Wt. 4.2 oz. (119.1 g)
Classification
Sword Furniture-Tsuba
Culture
Japanese
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Anonymous Gift, 1935
Accession Number
35.106
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 18th-century Japanesetsuba* (sword), crafted from iron inlaid with gold, silver and copper, served as a practical hand protector and canvas for artistic expression on samurai swords. Measuring just ¾ inches in diameter, compact form belies the openwork design featuring the of the Chinese zodiac—dragons, roosters dogs, monkeys, rabbits,, tigers, and oxensymbols deeply embedded in East Asian culture for representing the cyclical nature of time, personality traits, and cosmic harmony. During Japan's Edo period (16031868), a time of relative peace, *tsuba* evolved from functional a...