Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Tsuba with a Crow and a Heron on a Willow Branch
(Japanese Military Armor)
In Japanese, the expression for speaking illogically is to argue that a crow is heron. The pairing of a heron and crow is a metaphor for the opposites of ying and yang. At the lower right of this tsuba, a crow and a heron perch on a willow branch. The heron is made of a silver alloy, while the crow is made in copper alloy. On the reverse, a moon appears at the top over a stream.
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 5/8 x 2 7/16 x 1/8 in. (6.7 x 6.2 x 0.36 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.
51.266