Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Tsuba with Warrior Yoshitsune Learning to Fence from the Goblin Tengu King
(Japanese Military Armor)
The mythical creature at the right of this tsuba is Sôjobô, the king of the Tengu. Tengu are mischievous creatures who live in the forest and mountains. Sôjobô sits in a cypress tree, holding a feather fan. He is watching over the action on the other side of the tsuba where his tengu subjects are teaching Yoshitsune to fence. This scene is incised into the tsuba body. Yoshitsune is a late Heian period warrior who is the son and half-brother of powerful warriors. His father was killed when Yoshitsune was a baby. Yoshitsune's exploits with his companion Benkei are popular stories.
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, Tokyo (Edo) (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 3 9/16 × W: 3 1/4 × D: 1/4 in. (9 × 8.3 × 0.6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
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.
51.214