Sword Guard (Tsuba)
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Iron, gold, silver, copper
Dimensions
H. 3 in. (7.6 cm); W. 2 13/16 in. (7.1 cm); thickness 3/16 in. (0.5 cm); Wt. 3.7 oz. (104.9 g)
Classification
Sword Furniture-Tsuba
Culture
Japanese
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Adrian H. Joline, 1914
Accession Number
14.60.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 18th-century Japanese guard, or *tsuba*, served as a protective barrier between the hand and blade on a samurai's katana or wakizashi. Crafted during the Edo period when peace prevailed under the Tokugawa shogunate, tsuba evolved from purely functional armor into coveted art objects. Warriors and collectors prized them for their craftsmanship, often commissioning designs that reflected nature's beauty or philosophical ideals. This example, with its landscape motif, evokes the serene yet dynamic vistas of Japan's mountains, rivers, and forests, blending utility with poetic expres...