Toshitsugu - Tsuba with Rooster, Hen and Chicks - Walters 51269

A large rooster is depicted on the right side of this tsuba, guarding over three chicks on the lower left. A roosting hen is shown on the back. Roosters are frequently depicted in the Japanese bird and flower genre. While they have the same association with the dawn that they have in the West, they are not associated with agriculture.