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Tsuba (sword guard) with Ho (sail) Motif
Tsuba (sword guard) with Ho (sail) Motif
Image © Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved.

Tsuba (sword guard) with Ho (sail) Motif

Artist (Japanese)
Date1700s
Mediumshakudo (copper-gold alloy)
Dimensions6.5 × 7 cm (2 9/16 × 2 3/4 in.), 2 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.404
Label TextAkao Yoshitsugu was a tsubako (tsuba-maker) working in Edo, the shogun’s capital, today called Tokyo. Sukashi (openwork) tsubas from Edo often have highly abstracted designs that defy clear identification, but this one can be identified as alluding to a ship under sail.ProvenanceCollection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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