Title
Sword guard
Year/Period
17th century
Region
Japan, early Edo period
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: 6.7 x 5.8 x 0.4 cm
Accession No.
2015-00033
Collection of
This tsuba (sword guard) is oval shaped and made of dark russet iron. The plate is pierced with a broken lattice window and is decorated on both sides in relief carving with motifs of tea ceremony’s utensils. It is also decorated with a crucifix in gold. The tsuba has an elongated oval opening with an illegible inscription.This sword guard is one of the few existing examples decorated with a Christian motif. The inclusion of the crucifix would suggest that it was specially made for a Japanese Christian samurai.
