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A5308-33 Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, fighting warriors, gilt, metal / iron, Omishahashi school, Japan, Meiji era, late 19th century. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 3, A5308-33 Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, fighting warriors, gilt, metal / iron, Omishahashi school, Japan, Meiji era, late 19th century. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 3, A5308-33 Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, fighting warriors, gilt, metal / iron, Omishahashi school, Japan, Meiji era, late 19th century. Click to enlarge
  • Image 3 of 3, A5308-33 Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, fighting warriors, gilt, metal / iron, Omishahashi school, Japan, Meiji era, late 19th century. Click to enlarge

Japanese iron tsuba with fighting warriors

A tsuba (sword guard) is a flat metal disc that forms the guard on a sword and serves to balance the sword, as well as protect the hand from sliding up the blade of the sword during use. The blade fits through the central hole of the tsuba and the smaller holes are used to fix the kogai (a skewer-like implement) and the kozuka (a small knife). Tsuba originated in Japan in around the late 14th century during the Nambokucho period (1333-1391), a time when civil war raged throughout the country. …

This object is part of

A5308 Tsubas (124), and amulet, various materials, various makers, Japan, Edo period / Meiji era, 1720-c. 1925 / Korea, date unknown
Collection of Japanese tsubas
1720-c. 1920

Summary

Object No.

A5308-33

Object Statement

Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, fighting warriors, gilt, metal / iron, Omishahashi school, Japan, Meiji era, late 19th century

Physical Description

Tsuba, fighting warriors, iron / gilt, maker unknown, Japan, date unknown

A circular iron tsuba with a central triangular hole and a bean shaped hole flanked to one side. The tsuba is decorated in an openwork design with an internal relief of fighting warriors in a landscape environment. Areas of gold are painted to both faces of the tsuba.

Marks

No marks

Short URL

https://ma.as/182990

Dimensions

Width

68 mm

Depth

5 mm

Cite this Object

Harvard

Japanese iron tsuba with fighting warriors 2020, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 30 March 2023, <https://ma.as/182990>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/182990 |title=Japanese iron tsuba with fighting warriors |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=30 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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