Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This tsuba shows on the obverse a Chinese figure wearing a prominently gilded headgear, leaning onto his cane and with one shoe visible which is gilded as well. Towards the bottom left, we see what appears to be a rat eating from some kind of bundle and the reverse shows reed but is, apart from the raised inscription “after a painting by Ōkyo,” undecorated. Maruyama Ōkyo (円山応挙, 1733-1795) was a Japanese artist active in the late 18th century who founded in Kyōto the Maruyama School of painting.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art