Keywords: Koizumi Katsuchika - Tsuba with the Samurai Watanabe no Tsuna - Walters 51110 - Mark A.jpg This tsuba shows Watanabe no Tsuna a warrior who lived in the late 10th and early 11th century One stormy night he lay in wait at the Rashomon Gate in Kyoto to wait for one of the last demons left in the city Very late at night he felt something tugging at his helmet Striking out with his sword he cut off the demon's arm The demon ran away and Tsuna kept the arm locked in an iron box On the tsuba Tsuna and the demon face off across the sword opening The strong diagonal decorations on both the front and the back evoke the stormy night The Rashomon Gate is the same gate that figures in Akira Kurosawa's famous film of that name 1865 late Edo shibuichi with shakudo gold silver copper and gold alloy cm 8 5 accession number 51 110 19732 Henry Walters Baltimore date and mode of acquisition unknown Walters Art Museum Henry Walters Acquired by Henry Walters Transcription Inscribed takane tani no zu/oju kugai ko/keio gannen soshun/koizumi katsuchika kore o horu; Translation Inscribed Designed in a high mountain valley/By special request of Lord Kugai/ First year of Keio 1865 early spring/Koizumi Katsuchika carved this The Nature of Loyalty Japanese Warrior Prints of the Nineteenth Century The Walters Art Gallery Baltimore 1989 place of origin Edo present-day Tokyo Japan PD-old-auto 1916 Tsuba in the Walters Art Museum Koizumi Katsuchika Media contributed by the Walters Art Museum needs category review |