Tsuba with Chrysanthemums and a Snail

Description On the front of this tsuba, chrysanthemums made of variously colored metals are shown sheltered by a bamboo umbrella. On the reverse, a copper snail is shown crawling up a stalk of bamboo in the upper left. Chrysanthemums are generally a sign of autumn and snails are associated with summer.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Signature] 後藤法橋　一乗; [Translation] Goto Hokkyo/Ichijo

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters