The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba)
An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.
Publications online: 1264 objects
Tsuba with feather fans and gold eyelets
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Literature notes
Roughly rounded octagonal; each face modelled in low relief with an identical design of four feather fans, their palmettes flanking the seppadai, above which is a cusped finial; their long crossed handles are pierced at the end, with a gold eyelet, and those at the top are flatly curved and crossed, while those below are doubled back; ground punched with course ishime.
Signed: Umetada Masaharu [Japanese text].
There is little doubt as to the identity of the second character quoted, though on the guard it has only one dot, which would make it quite a different character (meaning "smith's work"). The design, as openwork, is illustrated in Tōban Shimpin Dzukan, no. 218, where it is called by the same name as No. 35. -
Details
- Associated place
- Date
- 19th century (1801 - 1900)
- Artist/maker
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Umetada School (active 16th century - 19th century) (armourer)
- Material and technique
- iron, with punched ishime surface, and gold
- Dimensions
- 8.1 x 7.7 x 0.4 cm (height x width x depth)
- Material index
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processed material › metal › iron,
- Technique index
- Object type index
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arms/armour › koshirae › kodogu › tsuba
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Bequeathed by Sir Arthur H. Church, 1915.
- Accession no.
- EAX.10201
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Further reading
Koop, Albert James, The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba), 3 vols (Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, 1929), no. 201
Glossary
tsuba
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tsuba
Japanese sword guard.
Location
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- currently in research collection
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
Publications online
-
The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba)
Roughly rounded octagonal; each face modelled in low relief with an identical design of four feather fans, their palmettes flanking the seppadai, above which is a cusped finial; their long crossed handles are pierced at the end, with a gold eyelet, and those at the top are flatly curved and crossed, while those below are doubled back; ground punched with course ishime.
Signed: Umetada Masaharu [Japanese text].
There is little doubt as to the identity of the second character quoted, though on the guard it has only one dot, which would make it quite a different character (meaning "smith's work"). The design, as openwork, is illustrated in Tōban Shimpin Dzukan, no. 218, where it is called by the same name as No. 35.
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