Artwork Page for Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Anchor in Waves

Details / Information for Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Anchor in Waves

Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Anchor in Waves

c. 1615–1868

Japan, possibly Edo period

(1615-1868)
Medium
iron
Measurements
Average: 7.7 x 8.3 cm (3 1/16 x 3 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of D. Z. Norton 1919.518
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
A tsuba, an iron sword guard, features a dark, four-lobed silhouette. Three vertical openings pierce the center; a large, tapered void is flanked by two smaller gaps. Fine, parallel relief carvings form dense wave patterns across the body. At the top, a thick, braided rope coils into a circle. Curved anchor arms rest at the bottom and right, while small, golden-colored metal dots scatter across the dark iron surface.

Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Anchor in Waves

c. 1615–1868

Japan, possibly Edo period (1615-1868)

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