Sword guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Bodhidharma Facing a Wall (面壁達磨図鐔)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This thick sentoku tsuba shows on its obverse Bodhidharma (Japanese: Daruma) living in a cave, facing a wall for nine years, after being refused to join the Shaolin Monastery. In art history, this motif is referred to as Menpeki Daruma (面壁達磨). The surface of the plate is finished in a deliberately rough manner to represent the wall of the cave. The reverse shows a large pine which continues on the obverse. The artist Tsuneshige (常重) had studied with the Nara master Shigetsugu (重次). He lived in the Kanda (神田) district of Edo and his real name was Kawamura Ichi’emon (川村市右衛門), although his initial family name has been Sekiguchi (関口). It is said that Tsuneshige was originally a lacquer artist who later in life became a sword fittings maker.

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