The Craft of the Japanese Sword

If you want to learn about the making of Japanese sword , the amazing craftsmanship those goes into making a Nihonto great book. I especially enjoyed reading about traditional Japanese steel

This book goes into the details of the making of a Japanese sword.I own Sato's "The Japanese Sword : A Comprehensive Guide" as well as Yumoto's "Samurai Sword a Handbook", and they are clearly not as complete as that one (esp. Sato's.)"The Craft of the Japanese Sword" is amazing in that it has a large number of extremely clear B&W pictures. Those are clear enough to show examples of the steel's grain, of what an utsuri looks like, of what makes nie different from nioi, of the appearance of the hamon at each stage of the polishing, etc. The clarity & quantity of the pictures is the main asset of this book to the katana enthusiast, be they interested in modern or antique swords, made in Japan or not.The book is also great because of the info it provides on all the stages before the blade is forged (i.e., how to obtain the necessary steel ingot, or tamahagane) and after it is forged (polishing, of course, but also the craft of the scabbard, of the fittings, etc...)This is a super dense book, packed with info, where not a single line is wasted. I cannot recommend it enough to anyone interested in the Japanese swords, be they swordsmiths, martial artists, or collectors. The book is geared toward the swordsmiths but provide so much info that a martial artist or collector planning to invest into a fine blade should absolutely read that book. This will prevent many a disappointment...

Fascinating book, quite understandable to someone who has never held a blacksmith’s hammer.

Book is in very good condition. Has lots of details about the process. Good resource.

I have a zillion books on Japanese swords, but never found one specifically detailing the metallurgical and technical side of how a sword is made. This is THE book to have if you want to know step by step how its done. An incredible read. I don't care how much you know about swords, you will learn something here and have a deeper understanding and appreciation for how brilliant a Japanese sword really is. 1000yrs of technology in one book. You will never look at a Japanese sword the same way again.

I wasn't expecting a book as good as this. I bought it for general knowledge, but i found many details about the practical craft of making swords, that i'll definitely use some of them when making a blade.

Great product

Excelente guía del proceso tradicional japones y del estilo personal de Yoshindo Yoshihara, muy buenas ilustraciones y fotografías.

A hugely interesting and informative book. What more can I say? The book, unfortunately concentrates on the creation of the blade and almost skips over the koshirae but having said that, I suspect that is the part of the sword that evokes the most interest in most peoples' mind. A fascinating read and still worth five stars.

Very interesting book.......I knew a bit but learnt a lot more with this book.If you are interested in the ral craftsmanship involved then buy this book.

Gift for nephew. He thought it was great

Fantastic book on the beautiful art and craft!

good