Tsuba (“Sword Guard”) Depicting the Demon, Ibaraki

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Tsuba (“Sword Guard”) Depicting the Demon, Ibaraki

Place made:Japan, Asia

Culture: Japanese

Date: 19th century

Medium: Copper with inlaid mixed metal

Dimensions:

2 7/8 × 3 3/8 × 1/8 in. (7.3 × 8.6 × 0.3 cm)

Credit Line: Bequest of Dr. Robert R. Clemons

Object number: 2022.3.4

Signed: Mori Hira

Provenance: Robert Clemons Collection

Label Text

Tsuba (Sword Guard) with Design of Ibaraki, the Demon

Maker Unknown
Japan, 19th century
Copper with mixed metal inlay

Bequest of Robert R. Clemons

2022.3.4

A tsuba, or sword guard, is an important protective fitting placed between the handle and the blade. They protect the hand from sliding onto the blade and contribute to the balance of the weapon.

Usually round or squarish in shape, tsuba may be decorated in various ways and have become popular collectors’ items. The figure on this tsuba is the demon Ibaraki, who was an assistant to the fearsome Shuten-dōji, a monster that terrorized Kyoto during the Heian period in the tenth through twelfth centuries. Ibaraki is depicted as an old woman with frenzied eyes and flowing hair. In a telling of the story, she battles with a warrior who cuts off her arm and stores it in a box. Ibaraki returns to the warrior’s home to retrieve the limb and is chased into the night. This theme frequently appears in Japanese literature and painting.

On view

In Collection(s)

Asian Art

The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.

Artwork

Tsuba (“Sword Guard”) Depicting the Demon, Ibaraki

Tsuba (“Sword Guard”) Depicting the Demon, Ibaraki