Artwork Page for Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Snail and Gourd

Details / Information for Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Snail and Gourd

Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Snail and Gourd

c. 1615–1868

Japan, possibly Edo period

(1615-1868)
Medium
iron with lead inlay
Measurements
Average: 7.7 x 8.6 cm (3 1/16 x 3 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of D. Z. Norton 1919.456
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
A rounded square sword guard of pitted dark-brown iron is pierced by a tapered rectangular center hole. Lead inlays adorn the surface: a curved snail with thin antennae beside an etched spiral on the left, and an upright, grid-patterned oval on the right. Fine lines radiate from the center across the weathered, oxidized surface.

Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Snail and Gourd

c. 1615–1868

Japan, possibly Edo period (1615-1868)

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