Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Thousand Monkeys (千疋猿図鐔)

Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Thousand Monkeys (千疋猿図鐔)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This tsuba shows a great number of densely arranged monkeys carved out in three-dimensional openwork (nikubori ji-sukashi), an interpretation which is referred to as "Thousand Monkeys" (senbiki-zaru). The edge of the hitsu-ana (opening for scabbard accessory) and the rim are decorated in gold nunome-zōgan. The motif of Thousand Monkeys was the hallmark of the Yagami School (矢上) which was based in Hizen province (present-day Nagasaki Prefecture). Representative master of the Yagami School was Mitsuhiro (光広) who was active in the second half of the 18th century. His name was then used on a hereditary basis until the end of the feudal era (1868).

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Thousand Monkeys (千疋猿図鐔)Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Thousand Monkeys (千疋猿図鐔)Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Thousand Monkeys (千疋猿図鐔)Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Thousand Monkeys (千疋猿図鐔)Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Thousand Monkeys (千疋猿図鐔)

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.