Octagonal tsuba with phoenix, kirin, and dragon

Title

Octagonal tsuba with phoenix, kirin, and dragon
Associated place

Japan (place of creation)
Date

18th century (1701 - 1800)
Material and technique

iron, with punched ishime surface, openwork decoration, and gold nunome-zōgan decoration; kozuka-hole plugged with soft metal, probably shakudō
Material index

iron;

gold;

shakudo
Technique index

forged;

punched;

inlaid;

plugged
Object type

tsuba
Dimensions

8 x 7.5 cm (height x width)
No. of items

1
Credit line

Bequeathed by Dame Jemima Church, in accordance with the wishes of her Husband, Sir Arthur H. Church, 1929.
Museum location

not on display
Museum department

Eastern Art
Accession no.

EAX.10823

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Catalogue text

Octagonal; modelled in low relief on irregularly grained ground; on the front a flying "phoenix" (hōō) and a "unicorn" (kirin) with a table of offerings, clouds, etc.; at the back, two "smooth" dragons and cloudsl the whole of this relief is richly decorated with tinted gold nunome, and the same technique supplies the almost symmetrical conventional ornaments and scrolls that fill the wide flat border; sd. of lobed outline.

kozuka

nunome-zōgan

phoenix

shakudō

tsuba

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