Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The samurai sword: symbol of the spirit of old Japan it embodies the samurai s steely discipline, unswerving devotion, and peerless skill. A feat of craftsmanship by hereditary artisans, the samurai sword is often judged superior to the famed blades of Western Damascus and Toledo. This complete handbook reveals the lore of the samurai sword, fascinating both for owners and for the intrigued. Detailing the origins and development of the samurai sword, its historical background, styles, famous schools, and differences in construction, outlining methods of identifying and researching the sword, as well as caring for it properly.
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Customer Reviews Read 8 more reviews...
not a comprehensive handbook June 28, 2006
Simon Guertin-Armstrong (Montreal, Quebec)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
mr. yumoto's work is very descriptive and pictures fill the pages more than text does.
"Samurai Sword a Handbook" lacks an analytic quality that would bring togheter the social, historical, technical and martial dimensions of the nihonto.
last but not least, such an important - and relatively undocumented - subject as care and maintenance of japanese blades is simply and vaguely evoked in two pages that make up a ridiculous chapter.
all in all, yumoto's work is too old to be satisfying to comtemporary readers in search of a meaningful, concise handbook which would explain rather than describe.
GOOD SOURCE March 16, 2006
Ajlan Bengu
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
A PERFECT SOURCE WHO WANTS TO LEARN ABAUT JAPANESE SWORDS AND THEIR HISTORY
confused... March 3, 2006
Jan Charvat (Czech Republic)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I finished reading it yesterday. It is too much for beginner and not enough for intermediate or even expert...
It is definitely usefull for future reference in terms of finding more about your sword or swords you want to buy and using some of the criterias. Photos are B&W and crappy and references text-to-drawings are badly organized.
What is strongly missing is types of sword damage, how to eveluate type of damage and find it on blades etc...
I dont know when book was written but some information also seems bit obsolete...
If the book was hardcover, had two times more pages, colored photos to go with drawings, better organized and have more information, I would give 5. Now I give 3 of 5.
Great first sword book October 27, 2005
Brian Brigman (North Carolina)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a good, short overview of the basics of Japanese Swords. Recommended.
Great book May 5, 2005
S. Anlezark (Sydney, AUS)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is an awesome book for anyone wnating to know more about samurai swords and speaking as a beginner myself, I found that this book explained everything clearly and concisely - I now know a lot more about swords than i did before :)
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