Sword guard (tsuba) decorated with a stream with plants and a dragonfly and butterfly in a stylised cloud haze
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1820-50
Sword guard, tsuba , made of the copper-gold alloy shakudo in mokko , or quatrefoil, shape. Inlaid with gold, silver and copper-silver alloy shibuichi and with carved details.
Decorated with a stream with rushes, waterlilies and orchids, as well as two butterflies and a dragonfly amid streaks of golden haze. The tsuba is a practical device placed between the hilt and the blade giving protection to the hand as well as providing a medium for the Japanese metalworker to demonstrate his skills. Various copper alloys were later used and these could be patinated to a wide range of colours and finishes and then inlaid with other coloured metal alloys.
Tsuba became miniature art forms in their own right and many schools developed their own unique styles.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Height 68 mm; Width 60 mm
- Materials and techniques
- Copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>) hammered, chiselled and inlaid with gold, silver and copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>)
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- Japan
Identification
- Candidate id
- vam-O465420
- Museum object number
- M.222-1911
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.