Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.

The A.H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba) by Albert James Koop

Publications online: 1264 objects

Tsuba with chidori, or flying birds, and wavesfront

© Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Reference URL
?

Actions

Send e-mail

Contact us about this object

Send e-mail

Send to a friend

Tsuba with chidori, or flying birds, and waves

  • Literature notes

    Thin; rounded octagonal, with each side heavily hammered up; pierced in negative silhouette are three flying wave-birds (chidori), with legs, eyes and tongue in gold; on the front these are accompanied by turbulent waves (low relief) with gold spray-drops; at the back the flight is over a calmer stretch of water, with a drying net (partly gilt) on the shore in the foreground. Signed with a kakihan [Figure] (probably the same as [EAX.11078]).

  • Details

    show all
    Associated place
    Asia › Japan (place of creation)
    Date
    19th century (1801 - 1900)
    Material and technique
    obverse and reverse: iron, with cut and filed openwork decoration, and gold reverse: with gilding
    Dimensions
    7.8 x 7 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    processed material › metal › iron,
    processed material › metal › gold
    Technique index
    forged,
    decorated › openwork,
    cut,
    covered › metallized › gilded
    Object type index
    arms/armour › koshirae › kodogu › tsuba
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Bequeathed by Sir Arthur H. Church, 1915.
    Accession no.
    EAX.11080

  • Further reading

    Koop, Albert James, The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba), 3 vols (Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, 1929), no. 1080

Glossary

tsuba

  • tsuba

    Japanese sword guard.

Location

    • 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) by Albert James Koop

    The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba)

    Thin; rounded octagonal, with each side heavily hammered up; pierced in negative silhouette are three flying wave-birds (chidori), with legs, eyes and tongue in gold; on the front these are accompanied by turbulent waves (low relief) with gold spray-drops; at the back the flight is over a calmer stretch of water, with a drying net (partly gilt) on the shore in the foreground. Signed with a kakihan [Figure] (probably the same as [EAX.11078]).
Notice

Object information may not accurately reflect the actual contents of the original publication, since our online objects contain current information held in our collections database. Click on 'buy this publication' to purchase printed versions of our online publications, where available, or contact the Jameel Study Centre to arrange access to books on our collections that are now out of print.

© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum