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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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 round border containing a lozenge
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Literature notes
Thick; constructed as a lozenge-shaped frame within a circular ring, the former united to the seppadai by four short bars; bars, lozenge and ring are all of circular section; the seppadai is square-edged.
It is, of course, only a square, not a lozenge, that can be truly inscribed in a circle, and here the angles of the inscribed figure necessarily "bite" more deeply into the ring at the top and bottom than they do to right and left; also the short bars are not in all cases at right angles to the side of the lozenge. For these reasons the design, while very attractive in the normal position, looks extremely awkward when placed diagonally. -
Details
- Associated place
- Date
- 18th century (1701 - 1800)
- Material and technique
- iron, with cut and filed openwork decoration
- Dimensions
- 8.5 x 8.5 cm (height x width)
- Material index
- 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.10754
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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. 754
Glossary
tsuba
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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)
Thick; constructed as a lozenge-shaped frame within a circular ring, the former united to the seppadai by four short bars; bars, lozenge and ring are all of circular section; the seppadai is square-edged.
It is, of course, only a square, not a lozenge, that can be truly inscribed in a circle, and here the angles of the inscribed figure necessarily "bite" more deeply into the ring at the top and bottom than they do to right and left; also the short bars are not in all cases at right angles to the side of the lozenge. For these reasons the design, while very attractive in the normal position, looks extremely awkward when placed diagonally.
Notice
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