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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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 wood grain decoration
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Literature notes
Copper veneered with mokume of shakudō, silver and copper in an irregular pattern of black, white and red "eyes" on a back ground; the edge veneered with a strip purporting to show the edges of some 10 or a dozen strata of the same metals.
The Description in the MS. Catalogue implies that this guard is of a solid mokume of some 20 layers. The pattern would, however, be impossible in anything but a thing veneer of, say, five or six layers. -
Details
- Associated place
- Date
- 17th - 19th century (1601 - 1900)
- Material and technique
- copper, with mokume veneer in shakudō, silver, and copper; tang-hole plugged with soft metal, probably copper
- Dimensions
- 6.7 x 6 cm (height x width)
- Material index
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processed material › metal › alloy › copper alloy › shakudō,
- 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.11188
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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. 1188
Glossary (2)
shakudō, tsuba
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shakudō
alloy of copper and gold, patinated to a dark blue-black colour
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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)
Copper veneered with mokume of shakudō, silver and copper in an irregular pattern of black, white and red "eyes" on a back ground; the edge veneered with a strip purporting to show the edges of some 10 or a dozen strata of the same metals.
The Description in the MS. Catalogue implies that this guard is of a solid mokume of some 20 layers. The pattern would, however, be impossible in anything but a thing veneer of, say, five or six layers.
Notice
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