Artwork Page for Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Gourds on Vine

Details / Information for Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Gourds on Vine

Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Gourds on Vine

c. 1615–1868

Japan, possibly Edo period

(1615-1868)
Medium
iron
Measurements
Diameter: 7.2 cm (2 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of D. Z. Norton 1919.391
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
An iron sword guard, a circular disc with a dark, pitted surface, features a central teardrop-shaped opening flanked by an oval hole. Winding vines of muted-yellow and reddish-brown metal wrap the upper edge, interspersed with three-lobed leaves and rounded gourds. Thin, curling lines connect these designs, contrasting against the worn, oxidized metal. These delicate organic patterns frame the heavy openings of the weathered guard.

Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Gourds on Vine

c. 1615–1868

Japan, possibly Edo period (1615-1868)

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