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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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 aoi, or hollyhock leaves, and foliage
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Literature notes
Decorated in rich gold nunome with fine engraving finish, the cross-hatching covering the rest of the ground; on the front, 22 heraldic aoi leaves connected in four groups by tendrilled stems; on the back, two bold realistic sprays of lespedeza foliae and grasses with dewdrops; edge gilt; kodzuka and kōgai holes of folding fan mount shape, the former of extra large size, the latter with a somewhat smaller one near it; udenuki holes. -
Details
- Associated place
- Date
- 18th century (1701 - 1800)
- Material and technique
- sentoku, with engraved gold nunome-zōgan decoration; tang-hole plugged with soft metal, probably copper
- Dimensions
- 7.7 x 6.8 cm (height x width)
- Material index
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processed material › metal › alloy › sentoku,processed material › metal › gold,
- 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.10852
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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. 852
Glossary (3)
nunome-zōgan, sentoku, 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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sentoku
A kind of brass made from an alloy of copper, zinc, and tin.
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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)
Decorated in rich gold nunome with fine engraving finish, the cross-hatching covering the rest of the ground; on the front, 22 heraldic aoi leaves connected in four groups by tendrilled stems; on the back, two bold realistic sprays of lespedeza foliae and grasses with dewdrops; edge gilt; kodzuka and kōgai holes of folding fan mount shape, the former of extra large size, the latter with a somewhat smaller one near it; udenuki holes.
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