Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Group of Monkeys in a Peach Tree (猿猴摘桃透鐔)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This tsuba shows a group of eight monkeys in and around a peach tree, with one monkey actually holding a peach in his hand. The faces of each of the monkeys are inlaid in copper. Both hitsu-ana (openings for scabbard accessories) have been plugged with gilt copper plugs of which one has come off. Monkeys fetching peaches is a common subject in Chinese and Japanese art. A Chinese legend has it that Su Wukong (Japanese: Son Gokū, 孫悟空), better known as Monkey King, steals the Peaches of Immortality guarded by the Queen Mother of the West (Chinese: Xiwangmu, Japanese: Seiōbō) and consumes them.

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