Tsuba with the God Hotei with his Sack
(Japanese Military Armor)
This tsuba shows the playful Japanese folk god Hotei with his bag of treasures. Hotei is one of the seven gods of good fortune, who frequently appear in Japanese art. On the back of the tsuba, a Chinese style fan is depicted. This tsuba is part of a set with a kashira (pommel cap) shaped like the god Daikoku's bale of rice and a fuchi (hilt collar) shaped like the god Ebisu's fish basket.
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)
Measurements
2 5/8 in. (6.6 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.
51.130