The Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords

Recently Japanese swords have gained enormous popularity as art objects with collectors and enthusiasts around the world, but until now much of the most detailed information on the subject has been available only in Japanese. This comprehensive guide to the appreciation and appraisal of the blades of Japanese swords provides, at last, all the background that readers need to become true connoisseurs.

The book is organized along historical lines for the sake of clarity and convenience, and its approach is always practical. Broad discussions of each tradition within the Gokaden focus on the features that distinguish specific schools and smiths--the various kinds of jihada, hamon, boshi, and hataraki favored in different periods and regions--making this an invaluable reference tool for all enthusiasts, especially those who wish to take part in kantei-kai, or sword appreciation meetings. Each section closes with an easy-reference chart summarizing the distinctive features of the work of various schools and smiths.

Richly illustrated throughout with more the 550 of the author's own painstaking oshigata illustrations--sword tracings onto which details are penciled in by hand--The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords is easily the most informative and comprehensive guide to the blades of Japanese swords ever to appear in English.