Sword Guard (Tsuba) Depicting Shishi Lion and Elephant (獅子象図鐔)

Japanese

Not on view

This tsuba shows on its obverse two medallion-style elements in relief, one shishi lion and one elephant, which are partly highlighted in gold and copper. The reverse shows towards the bottom left the relief of a partially gilded seal that bears the two characters of the artist’s name, Munechika. Both sides are further decorated with engravings of a disconnected hexagonal kikkō pattern that features some gold highlights. Munechika was a student of the Tsuchiya (土屋) School. There exists a dated work from Bunkyū three (文久, 1863).

Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Shishi Lion and Elephant (獅子象図鐔), Iron, gold, copper, Japanese

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Obverse

Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Shishi Lion and Elephant (獅子象図鐔), Iron, gold, copper, Japanese
Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Shishi Lion and Elephant (獅子象図鐔), Iron, gold, copper, Japanese

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.