Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Hanshan and Shide (寒山拾得図鐔)

Yoshiteru

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The obverse of this tsuba shows Hanshan (寒山, Japanese: Kanzan) and Shide (拾得, Japanese: Jittoku), popular figures in Zen painting, with their attributes scroll and broom respectively. The reverse depicts a pine tree with parts of the cones and the small bamboo at its base being highlighted in gold. The rest of the plate is polished and left undecorated. Haynes (H 12169.0) (see references) lists this artist as having died before 1781 and as follows: “Listed in the Sōken Kishō, 1781, vol. 4 p. 22, also listed by Hara 1902, p. 215. This name is also read Yoshiaki, or Kiki.”

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