Tsuba (sword guard) with design of blowfish, shrimp and plant / Seishinsai

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Record Details

Accession Number
1978/2.3
Title
Tsuba (sword guard) with design of blowfish, shrimp and plant
Artist
Seishinsai
Artist Nationality
Japanese
Object Creation Date
19th century
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
Japan (nation)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
Japan (nation)
Dimensions
6.5 cm x 5.6 cm x 0.5 cm (2 9/16 in. x 2 3/16 in. x 3/16 in.)
Century
19th century
Primary Object Classification
Arms and Armor
Primary Object Type
sword guard
Secondary Object Classification
Metalwork
Secondary Object Type
sword guard
Physical Description
This small, flat piece made of light brown brass (called "sentoku" in Japanese) has a round diamond shape. It has a triangular shaped hole in the center and another round hole on one side. Artist’s name is signed between the two holes. The surface is slightly concaved from the rim. The front has relief design of a shrimp, blowfish, and bamboo branch. On the back, there are designs of a spiral shell, a barnacle, and water drops. The sea motifs are inlayed with gold, silver, copper, and shakudô (copper-gold alloy).
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 an ornamental stick called kozuka. This particlar tsuba has a sea-related theme of shrimp and blowfish.
Primary Keywords
fish
hilt
plants
shrimp
sword
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
2053 x 1845
File Size
527 KB
Record
1978/2.3
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1978-sl-2.3/1978_2_3_view1.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1978-SL-2.3:1978_2_3_VIEW1.JPG

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"Tsuba (sword guard) with design of blowfish, shrimp and plant; Seishinsai." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1978-sl-2.3/1978_2_3_view1.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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