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

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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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

Aori-shaped tsuba with leaves and flowersfront

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Aori-shaped tsuba with leaves and flowers

  • Literature notes

    Aori shape; lenticular, with "wire" edged cusped to resemble bamboo, from which three groups of leaves proceed in gilt relief on each face; the Kenjō work is strictly confined to the front and consists of pine-trees (tinted gold) with slightly modelled branches; the back has similar branches of plum, with numerous buds and six open flowers encrusted in silver; rounded tang-hole plugs imitated in silver nunome. Signed similarly to No. 856 [EAX.10856].

  • Details

    show all
    Associated place
    Asia › Japan (place of creation)
    Date
    possibly 19th century (1801 - 1900)
    Material and technique
    obverse and reverse: iron, with engraved gold nunome-zōgan decoration; tang-hole plugs with silver nunome-zōgan decoration reverse: inlaid with silver
    Dimensions
    6.8 x 6.2 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    processed material › metal › iron,
    processed material › metal › gold,
    processed material › metal › silver
    Technique index
    forged,
    covered › inlaid,
    printed › intaglio print › engraving,
    filled › plugged
    Object type index
    arms/armour › koshirae › kodogu › tsuba
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Bequeathed by Sir Arthur H. Church, 1915.
    Accession no.
    EAX.10857

  • Further reading

    Koop, Albert James, The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba), 3 vols (Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, 1929), no. 857

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

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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)

    Aori shape; lenticular, with "wire" edged cusped to resemble bamboo, from which three groups of leaves proceed in gilt relief on each face; the Kenjō work is strictly confined to the front and consists of pine-trees (tinted gold) with slightly modelled branches; the back has similar branches of plum, with numerous buds and six open flowers encrusted in silver; rounded tang-hole plugs imitated in silver nunome. Signed similarly to No. 856 [EAX.10856].
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