New member need help with books

[Jean]

Paul,

 

I have seldom encounter such a fair person and gentleman like you. Everybody is untitled to its own opinion. That this book is not a beginner' book, I'll tend to agree with you because you must have seen quite a lot of polished blades to begin to understand what ideas conveys the author in such paragraphs. If you want to study this book, it request to have at hand several blades of several grade to compare and understand, I'll did it with my blades and I must confess there are opinions on which I don't agree but perhaps I don't understand what the writer wants to convey as idea.

[Brian]

If in this case the moderators think my comments are unfair, unjust or unreasonable they are free to delete them.

Actually Paul, I think your comments were fair, just and reasonably, so no..I won't delete them. :D

Not everything needs to be debated to death. Sometimes people can express an opinion without analyzing it, and let others make up their own minds. I too, am not bothered enough to re-read the entire book to find the "unusual" points that are definitely in it.

That said, I love the book and think that everyone should own and read it. But it is not one of the first 3 I would purchase. You need to have a firm background in some of the areas to understand what is being challenged and why. So for that reason alone....I think you need to have a basic Nihonto knowledge before this book.

Thanks for your comments Paul, I agree with them largely. Point by point disecting doesn't have to be the norm for every statement.

 

Brian

[Marc]

Again, i want to thank you all. NMB is to me a serious place to learn on all subject related to Nihonto. I really appreciate the fact that members seems to think twice before posting and that all advice given to new members are given in a way to help us learn.

 

On the specific object of this post, like I have said on a previous post, I have bought those books:

 

Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords: A Collector's Guide

The Connoisseur's Book Japanese Swords

The Samurai Sword: A Handbook

The Japanese Sword - Kanzan Sato

"The Arts of the Japanese Sword".

 

To this day I have read the handbook and the book from Kanzan Sato, and started the book Facts and fundamentals (first 30 pages). Next one will be the connoisseur's book.

 

Have I understood and learned all? Hell no, but I have started to have a general understanding on some objects. The best way to learn is practice I think and when I will be ready to make my first buy I'll first try to analyze the blade with my new learned concept and second ask to the members their advise on my analysis and on the object. The other option will be to attend to shows and to nihonto club meeting. Just need to find the time...

 

Again I appreciate all the input received since today and you make me really fell like home here.

 

Ps.: English is not my mother thong so if something looks lost in translation guess what...

[Brian]

Hi,

In my opinion, Craft of the Japanese Sword is a must have and is cheap. It allowed to me to see how much is really involved in making these swords, and why it is better to leave any work to the professionals. I strongly recommend picking up a copy.

 

Regards,

Brian

[jamesicus]

I think Samurai Swords - A Collector's Guide to Japanese Swords, Clive Sinclaire - Chartwell Books, London, 2009, is an excellent foundational reference.

 

James

[Grey Doffin]

The Art of the Japanese Sword by the same authors of The Craft of the Japanese sword presents the same material in greater detail and with better pictures. Doesn't cost much more than the earlier book; I think it is the better bargain.

Grey

[Jean]

Marc,

 

You must see the real thîng at least a 100% to be able to understand fully these books, so go to shows and discuss the swords with the dealers, you will learn a lot and it will help you to digest your readings.

[Marc]

With all these advises and lectures, I think I'll be on a good start. Et merci Jean, I'll find some ways to see the real deal a couple of times. Now in no way I think I'll be an expert in the next years :? . With some work, I would like to be able to differentiate what's a nihonto and what's not. After that, what's a "good" nihonto and what's of lesser quality. And then maybe being able to differentiate epoque of making and school.

 

And now this is why I'm here, lurking on all what you are writing. :D

[Rivkin]

Being a troll, I would say that first and foremost there are very few books in English that are worth keeping (but all of them are worth reading). "Connoisseur's..." is a great book, but being a reference type it requires a lot of swords to look at and serves as just a guide to look at them a little better. Introductory texts are great, but they are all repeating in one way or another what was said in the earliest ones (Nipponto etc.) - gokaden etc., quite useful if one urgently needs to distinguish his new Masamune from ko-Mihara, but leaving a reader to be mighty puzzled by first shinto sword they are going to see. They are not meant as collector's aids, but more like introductory books on history of nihonto.

 

To be a collector one more in need to learn hada, hamon with all their minute details, which can be accomplished only by looking at real swords (hopefully while comparing what one sees in hand with a general book like "Connoisseur's..."). Unfortunately, it is hard to find (basically I don't know if such book exists, and hope somebody can maybe point me to it) a truly collector-oriented starter book, which would go through blown-up photographic images of 20 different hadas, giving you general feeling for the overall gamut, and 30 or so different sugatas and about 20-50 different hamons (+boshi), 15 various nakago, giving you the images that one needs to know to be more or less comfortable with blades. Oshigatas are handy, but more so when one already has the blade, than beforehand, and after one already seen enough of real world blades. I think the problem with making such a book is that experienced collectors would kind of prefer a reference volume with lots of oshigata and signatures, and pure beginners would prefer pretty pictures (complete swords, late kinko mounts; big dragon always helps).

 

Kirill Rivkin

[Alex A]

I like the idea of such a book, but the cost of printing a book with so much photographic detail would be very expensive. It would far outweigh the demand.

 

Alex.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Sounds like a good idea, Kirill. When do you plan to publish?

 

Actually, if you do some detailed browsing on the Web, you can find tons of good info & photos on hada, boshi, hamon, etc. I've been accumulating data & shots like that into what has become a very large Excel spreadsheet (right now at 30.3 MB) so I can take a quick look if I have a question about something. Comes in very handy at times. But can't turn it into a book because nearly everything belongs to the people who published it in the first place.

 

Ken

[Grey Doffin]

Not a book for a beginner unless he has deep pockets but, Nihonto Taikan is excellent for clear photography of hada and is encyclopedic in its coverage of all the important schools and smiths.

Grey

[Stephen]

Every Nihonto book shelf should have a set of these.

 

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16977

 

Shamless plug.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Yup, I use my Fujishiro all the time, & that's no sham!

 

Ken