For several centuries (12th-19th centuries), Japan lived under a feudal regime in which the art of war prevailed, of which the sword was the chivalrous weapon par excellence. Its storage soon became a technically indispensable piece, but also a pretext for a refined decoration through its motifs and materials. The craftsmen of metal made it a true art, varying to infinity the decorative, symbolic, literary subjects....
The animal depicted here is reminiscent of a heron with its wings spread. Initially functional and full, tsuba soon became purely decorative like this one. Many collections are made around the world, including that of the Musée Guimet in Paris.
