Museum of Fine Art, Boston
Tsuba are the round or squarish guard at the end of the grip of bladed weapons such as the samurai katana sword. The main purpose of the tsuba is to prevent the hand from sliding down from the grip onto the sword blade such as during thrusts. During medieval times, the tsuba were more functional rather than for decoration and were made from stronger metals. During the Edo period, tsuba were more often designed for ornamentation. Many tsuba were finely decorated and today are popular collectors items.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Tsuba at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
That is a great collection. I managed to score an Edo-Period Tsuba for Obata Kaiso for his Kanreiki last year. They are true time pieces and window to another time.
ReplyDeleteThese are from various museums. I do not have any myself but I would love to own some. How much do authentic Tsuba from Edo period or older cost?
ReplyDeleteThey range from $80.00 to about $500.00 and they are always not in the best condition, you also have to watch out for the Chuugoku-jin fakes.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to the guy I buy mine from. coolnippon He is very good with correspondence and will answer any question regarding authenticity. Hope this helps out.
ReplyDeleteLouis
Thanks Louis.
ReplyDelete