Sword guard (Tsuba) Depicting Minamoto no Hiromasa Playing the Flute (源博雅図鐔)

Japanese

Not on view

Making use of only bas relief and engravings, this tsuba shows nobleman and court musician Minamoto no Hiromasa (源博雅, 918-980) playing a transverse flute under a pine tree during a moonlit night, being joined by another person.

The tsuba is signed Karyūsai (芲竜斎) which was the art name of the independent Kyōto artist Yamashita Bokusen (山下牧川) whose first name was Bunnai (文内) and who was active towards the end of the 18th century.

Sword guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Minamoto no Hiromasa Playing the Flute (源博雅図鐔), Copper, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), Japanese

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Obverse

Sword guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Minamoto no Hiromasa Playing the Flute (源博雅図鐔), Copper, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), Japanese
Sword guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Minamoto no Hiromasa Playing the Flute (源博雅図鐔), Copper, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), Japanese

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.