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An unpublished catalogue of the A. H. Church collection of Japanese sword-guards (tsuba) by Albert James Koop.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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Mokkō-shaped tsuba with chrysanthemums and inome, or heart-shapes

  • Literature notes

    Faint mokkō; thin, with thick border; highly polished; symmetrically punched on each face with eight small circular chrysanthemums, gilt; between these the ground is alternately pierced with quatrefoils and compressed inome (heart-shapes), the latter impinged upon by the four sharp inward cusps of the border.

    16th century (the ryōhitsu cut later).

    Resembles a guard in the Oeder Collection (no.134, "15th century") and one in the Moslé Collection (no.74, "15th century").
  • Details

    Associated place
    Asia Japan (place of creation)
    Date
    16th century (1501 - 1600)
    Material and technique
    bronze, with cut and filed openwork decoration, polished surface (migaki-ji), and with stamped and gilt decoration
    Dimensions
    6.9 x 6 x 0.6 cm (height x width x depth)
    Material index
    Technique index
    cut,
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Bequeathed by Sir Arthur H. Church, 1915.
    Accession no.
    EAX.10183
  • Further reading

    Koop, Albert James, The A. H. Church Collection of Japanese Sword-Guards (Tsuba), 3 vols (Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, 1929), no. 183

Glossary

tsuba

  • 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)

    Faint mokkō; thin, with thick border; highly polished; symmetrically punched on each face with eight small circular chrysanthemums, gilt; between these the ground is alternately pierced with quatrefoils and compressed inome (heart-shapes), the latter impinged upon by the four sharp inward cusps of the border.

    16th century (the ryōhitsu cut later).

    Resembles a guard in the Oeder Collection (no.134, "15th century") and one in the Moslé Collection (no.74, "15th century").
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