Sword Guard of Bamboo and Tiger
Heianjo Shigeyuki, Japan
1590, Momoyama period
3 in. x 2 in.
Gift of Julie Seagraves and Richard Kimball, 1986.466
Photograph © Denver Art Museum 2011. All Rights Reserved.
Sometime around the year 1590, the artist who made this object, a metalsmith, chose to include a tiger lurking in a grove of bamboo into this sword guard. During this time in Japan, not all artists were allowed to sign their work. Because this artist signed his piece, we can assume that he had a certain amount of skill and was respected for his craft. The artist mastered the technique of using more than one metal and of mixing metals to get alloys that were different colors. The dark grey area on this sword guard is made of iron; a reddish gold metal is used to outline two of the holes in the sword guard; and a gold colored metal is used to emphasize the tiger’s narrow stripes, eye, and tongue. It takes knowledge and experience to understand how work with each different metal alloy. Each alloy, for example, may melt at a different temperature. Each metal alloy has different amounts of strength. Each metal is a different color and the artist was creating a small sculpture on different colors metals to delight the eye and imagination of the person who might buy and use this sword guard.
The artist was probably paid to make this sword guard, or tsuba [tSOO-buh], so the inspiration would have come from both the artist and the samurai who wanted it for his sword. This tsuba is made for a katana blade, which is a long samurai sword (samurai traditionally wore two swords, the other was shorter). The purpose of a sword guard is to protect a samurai warrior’s hand from the blade of an enemy sword during battle, as well as to give the warrior’s own sword balance in his hand.
Sword guards are an important part of what might be thought of as the “clothing” of the sword (often called “sword fittings”). Often, a samurai would carry an old sword blade handed down through his family, but would “dress” the blade with new sword guards and other small details in the handle to make more fashionable. The Bamboo and Tiger sword guard balances a ferocious subject—the tiger—with the delicate details used in the animal’s fur and face. The balance between these two components mirrors that of the samurai themselves. The samurai were renowned for their ideals of faithfulness, loyalty, and dedication. A samurai was not merely a warrior; he was expected to excel in the art of civilized life as well. “Practice the arts of war on the right hand and the arts of peace on the left,” went a famous samurai saying. In addition to being skillful warriors, samurai knew poetry, calligraphy, and the intricacies of the Japanese tea ceremony. The samurai who owned this sword guard probably enjoyed the skill of the artists and all the small details created in various metals.
A sword guard is part of a sword’s fittings. The fittings included the hilt (handle), the scabbard (blade cover), the tsuba (sword guard), and menuki (grip enhancers).
A diagram of a samurai sword’s fittings:
Samurai Sword Fittings Diagram
Another sword guard in the Denver Art Museum’s collection:
Sword Guard With Plum Blossoms and Snowflakes
Two examples of grip enhancers in the Denver Art Museum’s collection:
Details
Tiger
The tiger is located in the bottom left corner of the sword guard. His tail curls up and to the right of the center hole. Tigers symbolized courage and power. They are not native to Japan, so artists used their imagination and drew upon what they had heard about tigers, as well as things they had seen in other artists’ images of them. The result may not be totally realistic. Try comparing this tiger to a real one.
Bamboo
Bamboo trunks and disproportionately large leaves fill most of the available area. Bamboo is an incredibly strong and fast-growing plant. Because bamboo can correct itself after being bent in a storm, it symbolizes the ability to weather difficult times, acting as a constant friend and warrior.
Center Hole
This is hole where the blade of the katana sword would fit. Because the blade must fit tightly against the sword guard, each sword guard was custom-made for a particular blade.
Two smaller holes
There are the two holes located to the side of the center hole. They fit around the handles of the samurai’s utility knife and hair pick. When the sword is inserted into its sheath, only the handle of the sword and the sword guard remain outside. On either side of the sheath there would be small pockets that held the hair pick and knife. These two tools would slip through the sword guard and their handles would sit alongside the handle of the sword.
Signature
The artist’s signature is incised beside the central hole. It is likely that this side of the sword guard is the front (the side that faces away from the samurai when he wears it) since it contains the artist’s signature, and the side that would be seen most by others, friends or enemies.
More Resources
Samurai Swordmaking
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2WkWNDDrQO4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Information about the making of samurai swords (katana).
Katana (Samurai Sword)
Another video about the making of samurai swords.
Websites
The Japanese Blade: Technology and Manufacture
Hunter, Edward. "The Japanese Blade: Technology and Manufacture". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (October 2003).
The National Consortium for Teaching About Asia
A web resource for elementary and secondary teachers
Denver Art Museum, Asian Art
Denver Art Museum Asian Art Web Page
Denver Art Museum Wacky Kids
Denver Art Museum Web Page, Kids Books about Japan
Books
Sato, Kanzan, translated by Joe Earle. The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1983.
Looking over the 1,500 years of sword history in Japan, Kanzan Sato notes how the major developments—were the result of both technical innovation and changed fighting techniques. He examines the various fashions in sword mounts and the at times precious, highly decorated work of the smiths who specialized in sword guards, or tsuba, during the Momoyama and Edo periods.
Hickman, Money L., ed. Japan's Golden Age: Momoyama. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996.
This book displays spectacular Momoyama masterpieces in many media-paintings, sculpture, calligraphy, tea ceremony utensils, lacquerware, ceramics, metalwork, arms and armor, textiles, and Noh masks-and places each work of art into its historical and cultural context.
Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.
A comprehensive, extensively-illustrated, detailed overview of Japanese art -- from the Joman period (10,500 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E.) through World War II.
Kuniyoshi, Utagawa. 101 Great Samurai Prints. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2008.
A full color book of wood-block prints of samurais with an overview of their portrayal in Japanese illustrations and art.
Miller, David. Fearsome Weapons in Samurai Warriors. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999.
This is a serious, broad, but detailed exploration of the samurai tradition. Lots of information is presented in a readable, handsome format, suitable for casual browsing or more concentrated study.
Baird, Merrily C. Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 2001.
Beginning with a brief but insightful examination of the development of symbols throughout Japanese history, the book looks at thematic motifs encountered in both the classical fine arts and the applied arts. The motifs are organized according to broad thematic categories such as "the cosmos, heaven and earth" and "animals of the land and sea," among others, making this an indispensable guide for a wide variety of audiences.
Reeve, John. Japanese Art: In Detail. London: British Museum Press, 2005.
Arranged thematically, the book includes chapters on nature and pleasure, landscape and beauty, all frames by the themes of serenity and turmoil, the two poles of Japanese culture, ancient and modern. Highlighting, close up and in color, examples of design and craft in prints, paintings and screens, metalwork, ceramics, wood, stone, and lacquer.
Patt, Judith, and Barry Till. Haiku: Japanese Art and Poetry. California: Pomegranate, 2010.
Haiku: Japanese Art and Poetry presents thirty-five pairs of poems and images, organized seasonally. The Introduction details the origin and development of haiku, the lives of the most famous poets.
Children’s Books
Doran, Claire, and Andrew Haslam. Old Japan. CENGAGE Learning, 1995.
Practical role-play and activities, based on the lifestyles of ancient peoples, are combined with a sensitive and wide-ranging text to create a stimulating experience of Japanese history. Includes section on kendo (the way of the sword).
Donegan, Patricia. Haiku (Asian Arts and Crafts For Creative Kids). Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2003.
This book introduces five styles of haiku to readers. It includes the following projects for elementary age children: your first haiku; your favorite season; your own personal haiku; haiku with pictures; and haiku with a friend.
McCarthy, Ralph F. The Inch-High Samurai. Kodansha International, 2001.
A Japanese fairy tale of a boy named Inchy Bo, the Japanese cousin of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina.
Funding for object education resources provided by a grant from the Morgridge Family Foundation. Additional funding provided by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, and Xcel Energy Foundation. We thank our colleagues at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.
The images on this page are intended for classroom use only and may not be reproduced for other reasons without the permission of the Denver Art Museum. This object may not currently be on display at the museum.
