This iron and gold tsuba from the mid-1800s is dramatic and expressive. Two deer are caught in a rainstorm. The doe looks to the side, appearing to cry out. The stag looks straight at the viewer, as though appealing for help. Diagonal lines representing rain cut through the frenetic swirls of rising water, creating an impressive sense of energetic natural movement.

This tsuba shows two deer, a stag and a doe, caught in a river during a rain storm. The deer appear at the lower right of the tsuba. Behind them is a maple tree. The river runs along the bottom of the tsuba and up the left side. Rain is indicated by incised lines from the upper left. On the reverse, a deer is on a promontory at the upper left looking down on boats caught in the storm.