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tsuba

human history
  • Other Name

    sword guard (descriptive name)

  • Description

    tsuba with monkeys in trees

    circular steel disc with open work monkey on right side, gilded monkey in tree at top, fukurin, rim patterned to look like wood grain in silver, very well used with well chiselled nakago hole, kozuka hole and monkey sits in kogai hole

    Tsuba (sword guards) were used to protect the sword wielder's hands from sliding onto the blade. They are usually finely decorated, incorporating traditional motifs and designs and made from a variety of metals, such as iron, steel, brass or shakudo - an alloy of copper and gold.

  • Place
    Japan
  • Accession Date
    Unknown
  • Other Id

    M929 (miscellaneous)

    B240 (bronze)

  • Department

    Applied Arts and Design

tsuba, M929, B240, Photographed by Andrew Hales, digital, 05… … Read more

Images and documents

Images

  • tsuba, M929, B240, Photographed by Andrew Hales, digital, 05 Sep 2016, © Auckland Museum CC BY
  • tsuba, M929, B240, Photographed by Andrew Hales, digital, 05 Sep 2016, © Auckland Museum CC BY
  • tsuba, M929, B240, Photographed by Andrew Hales, digital, 05 Sep 2016, © Auckland Museum CC BY
  • tsuba, M929, B240, Photographed by Andrew Hales, digital, 05 Sep 2016, © Auckland Museum CC BY
  • tsuba, M929, B240, Photographed by Andrew Hales, digital, 05 Sep 2016, © Auckland Museum CC BY
  • tsuba
  • tsuba
  • tsuba

Artefact

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