Tsuba with Autumn Flowers

Description This tsuba shows the moon with seasonal flowers. Beneath a full moon on the front are golden lace (ominaeshi) and bush clover (hagi). On the back, pampas grass (susuki) and dianthus (nadeshiko) are depicted beneath a crescent moon. Golden lace and bush clover are both indicative of autumn. Pampas grass is also a sign of autumn, while dianthus is a summer flower. With this combination of flowers and a crescent rather than full moon, the back of the tsuba seems to be invoking the seasonal change from summer to autumn.

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

Inscriptions [Signature] 浜野春利; [Translation] Hamano Harutoshi (kao)

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters