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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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 in the form of gingko leaves
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Literature notes
Thin; formed as four ichō leaves radiating saltire-wires from the sd.; they overlap, leaving four openings, and the venation is softly modelled; in rich flush inlay and gold-cloisonné enamel are the leaves, tendrils and fruits of a creeper, also a sign [Figure] of unknown meaning; edge inlaid with numerous irregular blobs of gold and silver. Signed: Hirata (as a gold-cloisonné double-gourd shaped seal with red ground), and in roughly engraved characters on the other face, Tadakage [Japanese text]. (Unrecorded.)
An outstanding piece. W. L. Behrens Collection, no.1671, plate XXIX. -
Details
- Associated place
- Date
- c. 1800
- Material and technique
- shakudō, with cut and filed openwork decoration, inlaid with gold and silver, and with gold wire cloisonné enamel; tang-hole plugged with soft metal, probably copper
- Dimensions
- 6.7 x 6.3 cm (height x width)
- Material index
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processed material › metal › alloy › copper alloy › shakudō,processed material › metal › gold,
- Technique index
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cut,
- 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.11177
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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. 1177
Glossary (3)
cloisonné, shakudō, tsuba
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cloisonné
Decorative technique in which wires are attached to a metal body and coloured enamels are applied between the wires.
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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)
Thin; formed as four ichō leaves radiating saltire-wires from the sd.; they overlap, leaving four openings, and the venation is softly modelled; in rich flush inlay and gold-cloisonné enamel are the leaves, tendrils and fruits of a creeper, also a sign [Figure] of unknown meaning; edge inlaid with numerous irregular blobs of gold and silver. Signed: Hirata (as a gold-cloisonné double-gourd shaped seal with red ground), and in roughly engraved characters on the other face, Tadakage [Japanese text]. (Unrecorded.)
An outstanding piece. W. L. Behrens Collection, no.1671, plate XXIX.
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