Sword Guard (Tsuba)

Kawamura Tsuneshige Japanese

Not on view

A tsuba is a sword guard and part of a sword mounting. It is mounted between the sword’s blade and grip to protect the user’s hands. The decoration on this example is very well done, being skillfully executed and imaginitive in its design. It can be considered one of Tsuneshige's masterpieces. The Nara school, to which Tsuneshige belonged, is not generally known for the quality of its work, making the high quality of this piece all the more exceptional.

Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>), Kawamura Tsuneshige (Japanese, active late 18th century), Brass, gold, silver, copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), copper, 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>), Kawamura Tsuneshige (Japanese, active late 18th century), Brass, gold, silver, copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), copper, Japanese
Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>), Kawamura Tsuneshige (Japanese, active late 18th century), Brass, gold, silver, copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), copper, Japanese

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