Sword Guard (Tsuba)
Unknown Artist
dated 1780
Medium
Iron, gold, copper
Dimensions
H. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); W. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm); thickness 1/8 in. (0.3 cm); Wt. 2.2 oz. (62.4 g)
Classification
Sword Furniture-Tsuba
Culture
Japanese
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936
Accession Number
36.120.138
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Sword Guard, or *tsuba*, hails from Japan in 1780, during the period—a time of relative peace when samurai culture flourished alongside refined arts and craftsmanship. As a key piece of sword furniture, the tsuba served as both a protective handguard for katana or wakizashi blades and a canvas for artistic expression. Crafted by an unknown master, its compact form (2½ x 2⅜ inches) belies its intricate beauty, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department as part of The Howard Mansfield Collection (gift of 1936). Forged from iron with inlays of shimmer...