Tsuba in the form of two horses
Japanese
Edo period
mid-19th century
Medium/Technique Main material: silver; other metals: gold and shakudo; decorative technique: marubori, zogan
Dimensions Overall: 8 x 8 x 0.5 cm (3 1/8 x 3 1/8 x 3/16 in.)
Credit Line William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.12179
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia
ClassificationsArms and armor
Signed . . . shu Motomasa sei (?), with a kao
。州本雅生（花押）
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 – d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911)

NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow’s collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum’s collection at later dates.