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A5308-54 Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, warriors, gilt, iron / metal, Soheishi Nyodo, Soten school, Japan, Edo period / Meiji era, mid 19th century. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 3, A5308-54 Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, warriors, gilt, iron / metal, Soheishi Nyodo, Soten school, Japan, Edo period / Meiji era, mid 19th century. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 3, A5308-54 Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, warriors, gilt, iron / metal, Soheishi Nyodo, Soten school, Japan, Edo period / Meiji era, mid 19th century. Click to enlarge
  • Image 3 of 3, A5308-54 Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, warriors, gilt, iron / metal, Soheishi Nyodo, Soten school, Japan, Edo period / Meiji era, mid 19th century. Click to enlarge

Japanese shakudo tsuba featuring 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.

A5308-54

Object Statement

Tsuba (1 of 124), sword guard, warriors, gilt, iron / metal, Soheishi Nyodo, Soten school, Japan, Edo period / Meiji era, mid 19th century

Physical Description

A circular shakudo (alloy of copper and gold) metal tsuba with a central triangular hole and two bean shaped holes flanked to either side. The tsuba is of an openwork design with a relief of warriors in battle in a landscape environment. The tsuba is decorated with gold paint in various areas. The outer rim is decorated with gold paint of a criss cross design that textures the surface.

Marks

There are kanji characters that run vertically down the outside of the central hole

Short URL

https://ma.as/183013

Dimensions

Width

70 mm

Depth

4 mm

Cite this Object

Harvard

Japanese shakudo tsuba featuring warriors 2021, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 23 March 2023, <https://ma.as/183013>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/183013 |title=Japanese shakudo tsuba featuring warriors |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=23 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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