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Source Description
The turtle on this tsuba is a divine tortoise that can live one thousand years. The "tail" is actually made of water plants that have grown in the tortoise's shell because it has lived so long. This turtle is a symbol of longevity. The right hand side of the tsuba is primarily the turtle's shell. The "tail" sweeps around the left edge to meet to turtle's head at the lower right. A space left between the tail and the central opening created the opening for the utility knife.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
5373
label
Tsuba with a Long-lived Tortoise (Minogame) with a Tail of Seaweed
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
5373
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Tsuba with a Long-lived Tortoise (Minogame) with a Tail of Seaweed
description
The turtle on this tsuba is a divine tortoise that can live one thousand years. The "tail" is actually made of water plants that have grown in the tortoise's shell because it has lived so long. This turtle is a symbol of longevity. The right hand side of the tsuba is primarily the turtle's shell. The "tail" sweeps around the left edge to meet to turtle's head at the lower right. A space left between the tail and the central opening created the opening for the utility knife.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1830 (late Edo)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Arms & Armor
tsubas
sword components
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensionsRaw
3 1/16 in. (7.8 cm)
Source extras
cul
Japanese
inscriptions
[Signature] 謙光斎 原一和; [Translation] Kenkôsai Hara Kazutomo
med
silver alloy
creator_ids
2733
collection_ids
JMA
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
61357f194e6a113d
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
436c3df24f7da480
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
963a1288697c10f3
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no