Tsuba (Sword Guard) with the Zen Monk Bukan

Title

Tsuba (Sword Guard) with the Zen Monk Bukan

Description

By Tsuchiya Yasuchika .


Kurokawa Institute for Ancient Cultures, Hyōgo Prefecture.

Bukan, who lived in China during the Tang dynasty, is said to have traveled on the back of a tiger he had tamed, the animal's ferocity having yielded to the monk's virtue. The artist who made the piece, Yasuchika (1670–1744), is esteemed for his depictions of people and landscapes that are simultaneously realistic and lyrical, and avoid an excessive display of technique. The patrons requesting his peices would have given the sword as a whole a higher reverence when united with the imagery of the honorable monk.  

Date

Edo period, 17th century.

Format

Brass; 3 1/8 x 2 7/8 in. (7.8 x 7.2 cm)

Files

Sword Guard.jpg
Date Added
May 9, 2011
Collection
Samurai Weaponry
Citation
“Tsuba (Sword Guard) with the Zen Monk Bukan,” Artists, Patrons, and Japanese Art, accessed March 19, 2024, https://artistandpatrons.omeka.net/items/show/25.