|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Product Description
To understand Japanese sword polishing is to understand the Japanese sword. Down through the years, the great sword connoisseurs in Japan have been sword polishers. A swordsmith can spend a large amount of time forging a classic sword, but refining and bringing out its final shape, color and texture so that all the details of the steel and hamon (the temper line) are clearly visible is the responsibility of another craftsman - the sword polisher. An experienced polisher can tell immediately by whom a blade was made, so discintctive is each smith's work and so vital is such knowledge to the skilled polisher. The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing is the first book in English to examine in great detail the polisher's techniques - skills it often takes up to ten years of apprenticeship to master. The book illustrates the methods, materials and tools used for this process. But its true aim is to enable the reader to fully appreciate the beauty of a well-crafted Japanese sword. As readers learn both how the sword polisher enhances the beauty of the blade and how he handles the problems of coaxing out its finest qualities through his polishing techniques, they will come to a deeper understanding of the fine art of making the Japanese sword and will be able to view, purchase or collect swords with greater pleasure.
About the Author
Setsuo Takaiwa (b. 1947) started his carrier as a sword polisher by apprenticing to Matsuo Fujishiro, who later became a Living National Treasure, when Takaiwa was sixteen years old. He has won the Special Prize from the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, one of the highest prizes in this field, more than ten times. He received the title of Superior Craftsmen in 1980 and was designated a Living Treasure of Katsushika Ward in 2000.
Yoshindo Yoshihara is a swordsmith who is ranked among the top sword craftsmen in Japan. His family has been making tools and swords for several generations, and his son is also a swordsmith who now works with him in Tokyo.
Leon Kapp is a cell and molecular biologist working in the San Francisco Bay area. He has spent a considerable amount of time studying Japanese swords with the swordsmith Yoshindo Yoshihara. Hiroko Kapp is a correspondent for the Tokyo-based Senken Shinbun news organizatiin. The Kapps live in San Rafael, California.
Yoshindo Yoshihara is a swordsmith who is ranked among the top sword craftsmen in Japan. His family has been making tools and swords for several generations, and his son is also a swordsmith who now works with him in Tokyo.
Leon Kapp is a cell and molecular biologist working in the San Francisco Bay area. He has spent a considerable amount of time studying Japanese swords with the swordsmith Yoshindo Yoshihara. Hiroko Kapp is a correspondent for the Tokyo-based Senken Shinbun news organizatiin. The Kapps live in San Rafael, California.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Japanese swords have long been prized for their aesthetic beauty as well as their functional properties. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Japanese swords have long been prized for their aesthetic beauty as well as their functional properties. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Japanese Sword lover,
By
This review is from: The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing (Hardcover)
This is an indepth book on the topic of Japanese Sword polishing. Lots of photos that makes it easier to understand the results/purpose of each step. Most photos are black and white, but very professionally taken. If you are a true Japanese Sword lover, you will love this book like I did.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews) 14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very good introduction to sword polishing,
By Douglas Blain - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing (Hardcover)
I wish I had this book 20 years ago when I first started to investigate the art of polishing. This book provides a wealth of information on the technigues, the material and the different ways that can be used to get a sword polisihed. In fact, the diversity of the art is highlighted by the book and certainly dispells the notion that there is only one way to restore a blade. The section on foundation polish discusses how to achieve the proper shape without removing too much material. The different stones are described and how each is used to establish and refine the shape. The finishing section covers the range of materials and tools used to bring out the grain and tempered edge unique to the Japanese sword. It also shows the burnishing and how to highlight the boshi.There are sections that talk about the history of polishing, the schools of polishing and interviews with several modern polishers. As always there is a note warning about the perils to the blade that can be inflicted by an inexperienced person. The book doesn't reveal all the secrets to the art, such as the various forms of nugui (other than the basic hadori and sashikomi formulas),what types of stones work best with each school or era, etc. But it certainly does provide a well documented, well photographed look at this art form. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Japanese swords. 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of "The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing"...,
By David A. Stiles - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing (Hardcover)
After reading the book entitled "The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing" I now have a much clearer and detailed understanding of the process used by traditional Japanese sword polishers. The book takes the reader though all of steps from the foundation polish, used to shape and sharpen the blade, to the finish polish, which is used bring out the details of the steel and shape of the temper line, using good text and a fair number of detailed photographs. It includes some Japanese sword polish theory and how Japanese swords have changed over the historical periods. It also explains how the age of the sword can affect how the sword should be polished and what damage can and cannot be repaired by a polisher. In the last section of the book it contains a few profiles of professional Japanese sword polishers the authors of the book had interviewed which I enjoyed reading.As someone who studies and appreciates the Japanese sword I found the book very helpful in educating me more about the process of how a Japanese sword is polished. I would recommended this book to anyone interested in learning in detail how Japanese swords are polished. 5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Traditional techniques very different from ours,
By John Matlock "Gunny" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing (Hardcover)
Men have always decorated their weapons. The main items being decorated in the United States have been guns. But in Japan it is the traditional Japanese sword. Being more of a land of tradition, the Japanese sword became more or less standardized in shape as long ago as the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and polishing the sword had to have followed shortly after that.There are many books that describe the techniques of polishing and blueing guns. But this appears to be the first book available in English that discusses the polishing techniques used by Japanese craftsmen. The Japanese practice is a strikingly different process than that used here. Polishing stones, not unlike whetstones but in far more diversity are used. A shop selling such stones is pictured with what appear to at least a couple of hundred different types of stones. And unlike here where stones are simply given numbers to indicate coarseness, in Japan they are given names. The polishing area used with Japanese swords is a traditional form as well. It sits on the floor, and the polisher typically sits in a traditional position that most of us would find difficult to get into, and impossible to maintain for any period. All in all, a fascinating book on techniques very different to those commonly used here. |
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
