Tsuba with a Cormorant Fisherman

The man at the right holds a large ladle upon which a cormorant bird is perched. He holds a lease for the bird in his right hand. Cormorants were traditionally used to catch fish in rivers in some parts of Japan. A ring was tied around the bird's neck to prevent it from swallowing the fish it caught. The moon in clouds at the upper left of the tsuba indicates that this is night time, when cormorants were used for fishing. On the reverse is a boat at a river bank.

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.