How was it made? Tsuba (Japanese sword guard) | V&A

This film shows the making of a replica sword guard (tsuba) in our collection. The original tsuba is the work of the master metalworker Gotō Mitsuaki (Hojō, 16th Master of the Gotō School, 1816 – 1856).

Using the same materials and techniques as those found on the original, UK-based craftsman Ford Hallam demonstrates the meticulous skills he has developed studying traditional Japanese metalworking techniques in the late 1980s, under the guidance of Izumi Koshirō Sensei in Tokyo.

The copying of historical masterpieces is known in Japan as utsushi and has long been regarded as an important form of training for students who seek to understand the processes involved in the making of an original work.

Find out more: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/japan