Sword Guard (&lt;i&gt;Tsuba&lt;/i&gt;) with Letter by Maker
Object type: Sword guard (<i>Tsuba</i>)
Department: Arms and Armor
Culture: Japanese
Artist: 黒川兼四郎茂直作 Kurokawa Kenshirō Shigenao
Artist bio: Japanese, 1822–1853
Artist role: Fittings maker
Artist nationality: Japanese
Date: 19th century
Medium: Copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), copper
Dimensions: H. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); W. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm); thickness 3/16 in. (0.5 cm); Wt. 3.5 oz. (99.2 g)
Classification: Sword Furniture-Tsuba
Credit line: The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936
Accession year: 1936