Tsuba (sword guard) with mushroom design / Artist Unknown, Japan

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1966/1.100
Title
Tsuba (sword guard) with mushroom design
Artist Nationality
Japanese
Medium and Support
iron
Object Creation Date
16th century
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
Japan (nation)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
Japan (nation)
Dimensions
8 cm x 8 cm x 0.2 cm (3 1/8 in. x 3 1/8 in. x 1/16 in.)
Century
16th century
Primary Object Classification
Arms and Armor
Primary Object Type
sword guard
Secondary Object Classification
Metalwork
Secondary Object Type
sword guard
Physical Description
Circular tsuba, made of iron. It has two holes in the middle. There are two openwork motifs of mushrooms on the lower left. Rusts on some parts of the piece.
Subject Matter
Tsuba (sword guard) is inserted between a sword handle and blade to protect hands from sharp blades. The center hole is where the sword is placed. The smaller hole is to insert kougai, a spatula-like stick which is said to be used for itching hair underneath hats or helmets. Mushrooms were thought to have a magical power in East Asia.
This tsuba is in the Kotosho style, which means "old swordsmith". They are usually thinly hammered and decorated with one or two pierced designs. Kotosho fate from Kamakura to early Muromachi period.
Primary Keywords
fungi
iron
plants
sword
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
577 x 563
File Size
35 KB
Record
1966/1.100
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1966-sl-1.100/1966_1.100.jpg

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Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1966-SL-1.100:1966_1.100.JPG

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Full citation
"Tsuba (sword guard) with mushroom design; Artist Unknown, Japan." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1966-sl-1.100/1966_1.100.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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