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The samurai believed his sword possessed spiritual and mystical
powers. The sun goddess gave her grandson three sacred objects—a
bronze mirror, a jewel, and a sword—when she sent him down
from heaven to earth to begin the imperial dynasty.
The sword is said to be the soul of the samurai. It was the symbol
of his honor and ancestry. When he was old, he would pass his sword
on to his son, and he in turn to his son.
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In contrast to swords elsewhere,
the Japanese hilt and its parts could be removed and exchanged for another set.
These mountings are among the most beautiful works of Japanese art in metal.
Sword Guard
(Tsuba), 19th century; Edo period; Inscribed by Ishiguro
Masayoshi (1772–after 1851); Japanese; Shakudo, gold, shibuichi,
copper; 2 7/8 x 2 5/8 in. (7.3 x 6.7 cm); The Metropolitan Museum
of Art, The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield,
1936 (36.120.79)
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