Sword guard with design of crane, wave, cherry blossom and Kuyo crest/ IDETA Collection/Kumamoto prefectural Museum of Art

Tani Seibei (?~1843) was a metalsmith in the late Edo period. He is said to have been skilled at nunomezogan (cloth-weave inlay), however, the details are not known because there remain only a few of his works.
This circular-shaped sword guard has a crane and waves design which are elaborately executed using openwork technique. On the iron surface, two kinds of family crests, which represent a cherry blossom and Kuyo (nine planets), are depicted with arabesque pattern in gold nunomezogan inlay.