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Source Description
The body of this tsuba is formed by the elements of the composition. It tells the story of Kamatari, the founder of the powerful Fujiwara family. He was a historical figure who died in 669, but this episode is from a legend. His daughter had become the empress of China and sent a boatload of treasures, including an important jewel, back to Japan to be used for a temple. The Dragon King of the sea stole the jewel and hid it in his temple. Kamatari retrieved it with the help of a diver girl, who sacrificed herself to ensure the jewel was returned to Kamatari. Kamatari is shown at the top of the tsuba in his boat just after he received the jewel. The Dragon King's body forms the lower left edge of the tsuba. Kamatari's boat and the Dragon King are connected by waves. Spaces in the waves create the openings for the hair pick and utility knife.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
8812
label
Tsuba with Kamatari and the Jewel
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
8812
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Tsuba with Kamatari and the Jewel
description
The body of this tsuba is formed by the elements of the composition. It tells the story of Kamatari, the founder of the powerful Fujiwara family. He was a historical figure who died in 669, but this episode is from a legend. His daughter had become the empress of China and sent a boatload of treasures, including an important jewel, back to Japan to be used for a temple. The Dragon King of the sea stole the jewel and hid it in his temple. Kamatari retrieved it with the help of a diver girl, who sacrificed herself to ensure the jewel was returned to Kamatari. Kamatari is shown at the top of the tsuba in his boat just after he received the jewel. The Dragon King's body forms the lower left edge of the tsuba. Kamatari's boat and the Dragon King are connected by waves. Spaces in the waves create the openings for the hair pick and utility knife.
provenance
William T. / Henry Walters Collection, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca.1700-1750 (mid Edo)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Arms & Armor
tsubas
sword components
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
7.7
height
7.6
depth
0.5
dimensionsRaw
3 1/16 x 3 x 3/16 in. (7.74 x 7.56 x 0.5 cm)
Source extras
cul
Japanese
inscriptions
[Signature] 幽明子 大地宗久製; [Translation] Yûmeishi/ Ôchi Munehisa sei; [Inscription] 江州 彦根住; [Transliteration] Gôshû /Hikone jû; [Translation] Ômi province/residing in Hikone
med
iron, gold, copper
creator_ids
5064
collection_ids
JMA
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
afc7cffa448d9dbf
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
d845ce1c6ff69f54
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
d70b0ce8db083b0b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no