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samurai book recommendation?
- Thread starter jlamb
- Start date
Thank you!
- Joined
- Oct 10, 1998
- Messages
- 627
For the history and making of the swords, The Craft of the Japanese Sword by Leon Kapp, Hiroko Kapp, and Yoshindo Yoshihara is a good one.
If you're a serious student of Nihonto, the best book on the topic is The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Nakayama Kokan. Translated by Kenji Mishina. Covers all aspects of the Japanese sword. I have a list of many books on the books page of my Japanese sword website listed in my sig file.
For info, the best forum is:
The Nihonto Message Board at:
http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/index.php
Rich S
The Japanese Sword Index
http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
For info, the best forum is:
The Nihonto Message Board at:
http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/index.php
Rich S
The Japanese Sword Index
http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2010
- Messages
- 4
Try The Sword book in Honcho Gunkiko by Henri L. Joly, Holland press or The Arts of the Japanese Sword By B W Robinson, Faber and Faber, London. Have read these books for 40 years and am still learning from them.
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2010
- Messages
- 201
I agree. this is an excellent book if you are interested in how the swords are made.
All good recommendations. But what exactly is your interest? Using? Collecting? Making?
You can do much worse than having these two books. John Yumoto's book gives basic understanding and Connoisseur's Book on Japanese sword covers a lot on Nihonto, although not really for newbies (hence read Yumoto's book first).
My only complain is that these two books lacks information on fittings and polearms.
You may also wanna read the book of five ring by Musashi, if you are interested in the samurai class in general.