Sword Guard (Tsuba)
Unknown Artist
early 17th century
Medium
Iron, copper
Dimensions
H. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); W. 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm); thickness 1/4 in. (0.6 cm); Wt. 5.9 oz. (167.3 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
36.120.87
Art Historical Context
This exquisite sword guard, or *tsuba*, hails from early 17th-century Japan during the dawn of the Edo period (1603–1868). As a key component of a samurai's katana, the tsuba served a dual purpose: protecting the from the blade while acting as a canvas for artistic expression. Crafted when Japan enjoyed relative peace under the Tokugawa shog, such fittings evolved from purely functional into symbols of refinement and, often adorning the swords of warriors and nobility alike. Forged primarily from iron with copper accents, this tsuba exemplifies masterful metalworking techniques of the era. Th...