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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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 sailing ships
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Literature notes
Low-relief modelling with rich gold and silver nunome; the front nearly filled by the greater part of a large junk or "foreign" ship (gilt) with phoenix prow, and five sails (also gilt), which may or may not belong to it; on the back are seen its stern (with elephant head) and two large coral-branches (gilt) emerging from the waves (modelled on each face and silvered); pearled border (gilt), resembling a separate rim; oval sd. (silvered) engraved with cloudsm its narrow raised edge and those of the rh. gilt. -
Details
- Associated place
- Date
- 19th century (1801 - 1900)
- Material and technique
- iron, with silver and gold nunome-zōgan decoration, and with engraved decoration; ryōhitsu plugged with soft metal, probably shakudō; tang-hole plugged with soft metal, probably copper
- Dimensions
- 7.6 x 6.9 cm (height x width)
- Material index
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processed material › metal › iron,processed material › metal › gold,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.10821
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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. 821
Glossary (3)
nunome-zōgan, shakudō, tsuba
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nunome-zōgan
Decorative application of metal sheeting (generally of gold or silver) where the iron ground is first cross-hatched and the metal burnished on.
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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
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The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba)
Low-relief modelling with rich gold and silver nunome; the front nearly filled by the greater part of a large junk or "foreign" ship (gilt) with phoenix prow, and five sails (also gilt), which may or may not belong to it; on the back are seen its stern (with elephant head) and two large coral-branches (gilt) emerging from the waves (modelled on each face and silvered); pearled border (gilt), resembling a separate rim; oval sd. (silvered) engraved with cloudsm its narrow raised edge and those of the rh. gilt.
Notice
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