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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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 characters and flowers
-
Literature notes
Pierced in negative silhouette with a ring of eight repetitions of the character [Japanese text] (meaning "negation" or "nothing") in a cursive form [Japanese text], the same being repeated on each face, alternately with the perforations, in silver nunome (with a little gold); on the square edge, overlapping each face, are eight twelve-petalled flowers in the same technique.
An important guard, but much worn (probably burnt), so that mere traces of the nunome remain. The character, when set within a slender ring, forms a badge of the Sengoku daimiō. -
Details
- Associated place
- Date
- 2nd half of the 17th century
- Material and technique
- iron, with cut and filed openwork decoration, and traces of silver and gold nunome-zōgan decoration
- Dimensions
- 7.9 x 8 cm (height x width)
- Material index
-
processed material › metal › iron,
- Technique index
-
cut,
- Object type index
-
arms/armour › koshirae › kodogu › tsuba
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Bequeathed by Sir Arthur H. Church, 1915.
- Accession no.
- EAX.10368
-
Further reading
Koop, Albert James, The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba), 3 vols (Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, 1929), no. 368
Glossary (2)
nunome-zōgan, tsuba
-
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.
-
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)
Pierced in negative silhouette with a ring of eight repetitions of the character [Japanese text] (meaning "negation" or "nothing") in a cursive form [Japanese text], the same being repeated on each face, alternately with the perforations, in silver nunome (with a little gold); on the square edge, overlapping each face, are eight twelve-petalled flowers in the same technique.
An important guard, but much worn (probably burnt), so that mere traces of the nunome remain. The character, when set within a slender ring, forms a badge of the Sengoku daimiō.
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