Nara Toshinaga I
Guard (tsuba) with Inari Fox, Crescent Moon and Rice Husks
early 18th century
Scroll
Nara Toshinaga I
Guard (tsuba) with Inari Fox, Crescent Moon and Rice Husks
early 18th century
Physical Qualities
Copoer alloy, gold, silverr, 6.6 x 6 cm. (2 5/8 x 2 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Leroy Lipman
Object Number
1955.166.23
The important Shinto kami (nature spirit) Inari Ōkami or Ō-Inari governs foxes, fertility, rice, tea, sake, agriculture, and industry. More than a third of Japan’s Shinto shrines are dedicated to Inari (literally “rice-bearer”); many feature statues of the kami’s protective messenger foxes.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1955; Leroy Lipman
Frances Klapthor, "The Way of Nature: Art from Japan, China, and Korea," Baltimore Museum of Art, September 21, 2025-March 1, 2026
Inscribed: SIGNED Toshinaga
