The Samurai Sword: A Handbook

great book what more can i say.

The book has a lot of line drawing and photos to help the reader understand the information they are sharing.

My main comment is for the condition of the book. The front cover had a lot of dents on the cover and glue stuck to the bottom left and slightly at the top right as if a sticker was removed. Normally this wouldn’t bother me so much but this was purchased as a new book and this is for a gift and I have no time to replace it.

I found the technical information/details of little use to me but I appreciated the depth to which the research was taken and appreciated how diverse and prevalent the sword-making industry was in Japan.

EVERY SAMURAI SWORD COLLECTOR MUST HAVE THIS REFERENCE BOOK.. IN PARTICULAR, THEY SHOULD READ THE HISTORY OF THE SWORD AND THE SAMURAI. ALSO, BE SURE TO GET THE REFERENCE BOOK "JAPAN, THE SHAPING OF THE DAIMYO CULTURE, 1185-1868", WHICH WAS THE ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME U.S. EXHIBITION OF THE JAPANESE NATIONAL SWORD TREASURES IN THE U.S. NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON, IN 1988 TO 1989.

This is a very short book that is highly detailed in certain aspects. I found it dry and devoid of many of the interesting aspects of the samurai sword. It has a little about how it was made, but much more on what years were better, what makers were better. It is almost a buyers guide.

This was a gift for my husband. He loves the book. It came right on schedule.

This is an excellent and comprehensive reference for the English speaking reader. Covers nearly all aspects of the characteristics and history of the traditional antique and modern age Japanese swords. It may be a bit dated in some areas, especially for assessing current market values.

Recently bought a new (old) sword, some helpful information in translating the inscription but got some conflicting info with a web site but both translations are in the same ball park. No luck with the sword makers signature but obviously not every sword maker that signed their blades can be listed in such a small volume. Still the book has lots of info and is well worth the money

its very handy if you like Sswords

Interesting book ....very informative.

good and efective, like a katana!

This is a good intro into the history and construction of the Samurai swords. From the early to the World War 2 military swords. Covering the different styles of swords through the years. Good info in the shapes, sizes and construction of the swords. However you are left with questions unanswered. Some subjects are just touched upon. There is ONE big let down with this book, the Plates (photos). Reproducing in black and white is not usually a problem but in this book so much detail is lost in the grainy images of the swords and fittings, shame really. OK, I know this book was first published in 1958, could still do better. That said, I am sure I will be coming back to this book for points of reference.