Japanese
Sword Guard (Tsuba), 18th century
Iron with brass inlay, 7.9 x 7 cm (3 1/8 x 2 3/4 in.)
The sword guard, or tsuba, is from Japan. It is an ovoid disc of dark brown colored iron with brighter brass inlay of repeating branches and 10 geometric shapes spaced around the body of the tsuba. There are three openings in the center of the disc. The left is an oval with a small bulge on the outer edge. The center opening, for the sword blade, is an elongated oval, wider at the top than the bottom to accommodate the blade, with solder marks at the bottom of the opening. The right opening is an elongated oval shape.
Macknight Room
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.