Tsuba with a Hawk, Sparrows and Chrysanthemums

Description This tsuba is made in the shape of a hawk. Its head is at the upper right. At the bottom edge, it clutches chrysanthemums in its talons. At the upper left, two sparrows fly near the hawk's left wing. This design of this tsuba is almost identical to another tsuba in the collection, Walters 51.389, except for the lack of gilding and the style of the signature.

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

Inscriptions [Signature] 凌雲斎; [Translation] Ryôunsai

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters