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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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

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Tsuba with clouds and stars

  • Literature notes

    Openwork design representing a cloud-forn, pierced with the tang-hole and rh., its edge irregularly set with small disks, balls, and silver rings, most of which touch the stout square border; the cloud is also pierced obliquely with five small circular holes, three in a group (joined by gold wires inlaid) representing a constellation; small cloud-forms are represented on it in raised gold wire inlay and gold-cloisonné enamel panels (the latter appear on the disks also); edge of the guard inlaid with clouds, etc, in gold, with nanako over all (Sano technique). Signed: Bushū no jū Akasaka Tada-toki [as EAX.10678].

    A fine piece of work; but it is difficult to discern any connection with the Akasaka style (Group XVIII). E. Gilbertson Collection, no. 1573.
  • Details

    Associated place
    Asia Japan (place of creation)
    Date
    19th century (1801 - 1900)
    Material and technique
    shakudō, with cut and filed openwork decoration, inlaid with gold wire, gold, and silver, and with gold wire cloisonné enamel; kōgai-hole plugged with soft metal, probably shakudō; tang-hole plugged with soft metal, probably copper
    Dimensions
    7.4 x 7 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    Technique index
    cut,
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Bequeathed by Sir Arthur H. Church, 1915.
    Accession no.
    EAX.11178
  • Further reading

    Koop, Albert James, The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba), 3 vols (Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, 1929), no. 1178

Glossary (3)

cloisonné, shakudō, tsuba

  • cloisonné

    Decorative technique in which wires are attached to a metal body and coloured enamels are applied between the wires.

  • shakudō

    alloy of copper and gold, patinated to a dark blue-black colour

  • 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)

    Openwork design representing a cloud-forn, pierced with the tang-hole and rh., its edge irregularly set with small disks, balls, and silver rings, most of which touch the stout square border; the cloud is also pierced obliquely with five small circular holes, three in a group (joined by gold wires inlaid) representing a constellation; small cloud-forms are represented on it in raised gold wire inlay and gold-cloisonné enamel panels (the latter appear on the disks also); edge of the guard inlaid with clouds, etc, in gold, with nanako over all (Sano technique). Signed: Bushū no jū Akasaka Tada-toki [as EAX.10678].

    A fine piece of work; but it is difficult to discern any connection with the Akasaka style (Group XVIII). E. Gilbertson Collection, no. 1573.
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