Search Results: the japanese sword by sato kanzan translated

Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International; Shibundo, 1983. 210 pages, illustrations (some colour); 27 cm. Translation of: Token. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Dust jacket protected in a mylar cover. "The Japanese sword combines unbreakability, rigidity, and lethal cutting power, and it is in the resolution of these conflicting practical requirements that it emerges as a triumph of the forger's art. The mystique of the sword lingers on in our age of mechanized combat, but the aesthetic qualities for which swords are most valued by collectors today-the liveliness of the metal 'skin,' the confidence in every aspect of the design, the scrolling temper-line, the almost buoyant lightness of the hilt when the blade is held in the hand-all derive from what the Japanese sword demanded as a symbol of strength and as a weapon. As an instrument of clear persuasion, no other blade anywhere has ever been its equal. This volume, containing color and black-and-white plates, has been prepared as… Read More

Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1983. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8vo. Green and yellow paper boards. 210 pp. Numerous illustrations in colour and B&W. Light rubbing to edges of boards. Foxing to edges of text block. Dust jacket is price clipped. Near fine. The author, until his death in 1978, was one of Japan's foremost sword experts, and his wide knowledge is here brought to bear on every aspect of sword lore, including forging techniques and problems of appraisal.