Samurai Sword

Author: John M. Yumoto
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462907067
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
The samurai sword: a symbol of the spirit of old Japan, it embodies the samurai's steel discipline, unswerving devotion and peerless skill. With its creation, a feat of craftsmanship passed down by generations of artisans, the samurai sword is generally considered to be superior even to the famed blades of Western Damascus and Toledo. The Samurai Sword Handbook is a precise exploration of the samurai sword designed for sword collectors as well as anyone intrigued by these ancient blades. Detailing the origins and development of the samurai sword, its historical background, styles, famous schools and differences in construction, this revised edition of the classic reference outlines methods of identifying and researching the sword, as well as caring for it properly. This must-have for sword lovers is sure to be a bestseller. Topics of this Samurai book include: Japanese History and the Samurai Sword Types of swords Parts of the sword Blade shape, construction, and grain The making of the sword Inscriptions and their readings Care and maintenance Appraisal and value Relative point values

Mastering the Samurai Sword

Author: Cary Nemeroff
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462916252
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 459

Book Description
Memorialized in countless books and movies, the history of Japan's fearsome samurai warriors is known all over the world. Who can forget these Japanese masters' skills with the sword? Today, samurai warriors no longer exist, but their legacy of swordsmanship endures. Now, the way of the samurai sword is learned in the martial arts Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu. This book is the perfect introduction to using this beautiful and ancient weapon. In Mastering the Samurai Sword, you'll learn the sword's fascinating history, its evolution, and the philosophy behind its use. You'll also learn practical guidance for mastering the sword itself. Full-color, step-by-step photographs detail many of the most useful and famous samurai moves, including: drawing the samurai sword guard positions, cutting blows, and blocking falling and rolling techniques, and evasive strategies standing forms and kneeling forms All of the martial arts techniques discussed in the book are performed for readers in the downloadable material to help you perfect your form. Beginners will learn everything from proper attire and behavior in the dojo to how they might practice at home, while more experienced samurai swords people will find a new appreciation for the deeper meaning and tradition behind the graceful way of the sword.

Katana

Author: Stephen Turnbull
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1849086583
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 170

Book Description
The Samurai sword of Japan is probably the finest edged weapon ever made. This volume by leading Samurai expert Stephen Turnbull reveals the story of how and why it achieved this distinction. Particular attention is paid to the development of the familiar curved blade from the original straight blades, the associated development of Japan's famous steel-making techniques and the challenges from contemporary warfare. Together with the technical details of forging, polishing, mounting and testing; this volume is brought to life with details of the great swordmakers themselves. Moreover, no history of the sword would be complete without a detailed examination of its use in combat, from the greatest Samurai armies to individual duels and revenge killings. Personal accounts allow the reader to discover the art of Japanese swordsmanship in the hands of masters such as Miyamoto Musashi to the unnamed Japanese warrior defending his family's honour. This lively text is perfectly complemented by artwork reconstructions of the sword in use and colour photographs of the swords in use.

Samurai Sword: Spirit * Strategy * Techniques

Author: Kohshyu Yoshida
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462909906
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 374

Book Description
The Samurai Sword is the essential illustrated guide to the Japanese way of the sword. Japan's famous samurai warriors were more than just soldiers -- they were adherents to a strict code of honor who respected the deeper, spiritual meaning of the way of the sword. To the samurai, battle was sacred. This indispensable guide to theory and practice respects both the physical and spiritual aspects of martial arts practice with the katana. This sword book features: Beautiful, step-by-step photos and easy-to-understand text Guidance for selecting, maintaining, and using your sword Wisdom about the practical value of meditation Inspirational biographies of some of the greatest samurai swordsmen, men whose words and deeds embodied the true spirit of the samurai warrior Downloadable video Whether you're a beginner or an experienced swordsperson, this book will broaden your practical knowledge with detailed instruction on stances, cuts, guards, forms, and sparring techniques and strategy.

Samurai Swords

Author: Clive Sinclaire
Publisher: Chartwell Books
ISBN: 9780785825630
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
For 700 years Japanese civilization was dominated by a single warrior caste. This project looks at the weaponry of Samurai men and women over the centuries with specifically commissioned photography of reenactors wearing and museum-quality clothing and weaponry.

Bokken

Author: Dave Lowry
Publisher: Black Belt Communications
ISBN: 9780897501040
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Book Description
Focusing his expertise on the techniques and history of the bokken—the wooden training sword used by both ancient samurai and today’s swordsmen—the author maintains that training with the bokken is important on two levels for the modern practitioner: to build the physical stamina, rhythms, and adroit body movements of traditional swordsmanship and to achieve something of the animating spirit of the traditional swordsman. This history of the bokken combines the author's concise, eloquent writing style with more than 100 photographs to provide the reader with the traditional and modern perspectives of this vital, historically rich practice tool.

The Japanese Sword

Author: Kanzan Satō
Publisher: Kodansha International
ISBN: 9780870115622
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Book Description
One of the foremost experts on the Japanese sword describes their history andppreciations in this book, with photographs and illustrations.

The Craft of the Japanese Sword

Author: Leon Kapp
Publisher: Kodansha International
ISBN: 9780870117985
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 176

Book Description
From raw steel to tempered blade, this text presents a visual account of thencient craft of swordmaking as practiced in modern Japan.

Secret of the Samurai Sword

Author: Phyllis A. Whitney
Publisher: Fawcett
ISBN: 9780449703670
Category : Americans
Languages : en
Pages : 206

Book Description
When Celia and her brother Stephen visit Japan, they discover a guest with a message from the past--the ghost of an ancient samurai soldier.

The Samurai

Author: Ben Hubbard
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750957255
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 183

Book Description
The true nature of the samurai warrior is an elusive and endlessly fascinating enigma for those in the west. From their inauspicious beginnings as barbarian-subduing soldiers, the samurai lived according to a code known as bushido, or ‘Way of the Warrior’. Bushido advocated loyalty, honour, pride and fearlessness in combat. Those who broke the code were expected to perform seppuku, or suicide through belly-slitting. By its very design, seppuku aimed to restore honour to disgraced warriors by ensuring the most painful of deaths. But as the samurai grew into large warrior clans, the bushido virtues of loyalty and honour fell into question, as control was seized and the emperor supplanted by a powerful military ruler, the shogun. Samurai tells the story of the ensuing centuries-long struggle for power between the clans, as Japan’s martial elite rose and fell.