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Sword Guard (Tsuba)

Fittings maker Inscribed by Ishiguro Masayoshi Japanese
19th century
Not on view
Tsuba were originally utilitarian fittings, made to protect the hand from the cuts of an opponent's sword. From the sixteenth century onward, however, more decorative tsuba became the specialty of some craftsmen. By the nineteenth century, when this tsuba was made, there were many well-defined schools and styles of tsuba making. Tsuba were interchangeable and were often made as part of sets of matching sword fittings, which could be mounted with blades of various types and dates. This tsuba features a design of bamboo amid rocks.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Sword Guard (Tsuba)
  • Fittings maker: Inscribed by Ishiguro Masayoshi (Japanese, 1772–after 1851)
  • Date: 19th century
  • Culture: Japanese
  • Medium: Copper-gold alloy (shakudō), gold, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), copper
  • Dimensions: H. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); W. 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm); thickness 5/16 in. (0.8 cm); Wt. 5.4 oz. (153.1 g)
  • Classification: Sword Furniture-Tsuba
  • Credit Line: The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936
  • Object Number: 36.120.79
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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