Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Tsuba with Chinese Star Gods
(Japanese Military Armor)
The three Chinese star gods, Lu, Fu, and Shou, are collectively worshiped to bring good fortune. The stars appear at the upper left of the tsuba, just above the distant mountains. At the lower right of the composition, the personifications of the stars stand beneath a pine tree. A fourth man has his back to the viewer, observing them. On the reverse, another Chinese gentleman stands gazing to the left. In the mountains behind him, the top of a temple pagoda stands among the mountain peaks.
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
2 3/4 x 2 9/16 x 3/16 in. (6.98 x 6.58 x 0.43 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.
51.336