Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Tsuba with Chokaro and Mule Leaving the Gourd
(Japanese Military Armor)
This tsuba shows the Taoist Immortal Chokaro (Ch. Zhang Guo [Chang Kuo]) releasing his magic mule from a gourd. Chokaro sits at the lower right of the tsuba holding the gourd. The mule is above the central opening on the left. Chokaro's mule lived in the gourd until Chokaro needed it. The mule could carry Chokaro for thousands of miles and did not need to be fed.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Japan, Mito (Place of Origin)
Measurements
2 9/16 in. (6.5 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.
51.352