唐草図鐔 Sword Guard (Tsuba)

Inscribed by 鷲田光中作 Washida Mitsunaka Japanese

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 380

The Washida School was founded by Mitsutoki (光時, 1743–1803), the son of a samurai from the northern part of Japan (Shōnai domain, present-day Yamagata Prefecture) who went to Edo (Tokyo) to become a sword-fitting maker. Mitsunaka (光中, 1830–1889), who made this sword guard (tsuba), was one of the school’s last great artists. He focused on the revival of classical sword-fitting designs, as is the case with the scrolling leaves in flush inlay here, decoration seen on many sixteenth-century sword guards.

唐草図鐔 Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>), Inscribed by 鷲田光中作 Washida Mitsunaka (Japanese, 1830–1889), Iron, silver, copper, Japanese

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唐草図鐔 Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>), Inscribed by 鷲田光中作 Washida Mitsunaka (Japanese, 1830–1889), Iron, silver, copper, Japanese
唐草図鐔 Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>), Inscribed by 鷲田光中作 Washida Mitsunaka (Japanese, 1830–1889), Iron, silver, copper, Japanese

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