Tsuba with the Chinese General Kanyu on His Horse
(Japanese Military Armor)
The mounted figure along the right edge of this tsuba is 2nd-century Chinese general Kanyu (Ch. Guan Yu [Kuan Yu]). Stories of his activities during the Three Kingdoms period are told in the 14th-century novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." He is recognizable by his long black beard. He was sometimes called "Lord of the Splendid Black Beard." On the reverse of the tsuba is the back of his horse and a pine tree.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Japan, Tokyo (Edo)
(Place of Origin)
Japan, Mito (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 2 13/16 x W: 2 5/8 x D: 1/8 in. (7.15 x 6.68 x 0.39 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
51.180