Gendaito Project

[Markus]

Hi everyone,

 

I made an announcement on my blog for the upcoming Gendaito Project.

Thanks for your attention.

 

http://markussesko.wordpress.com/2014/0 ... o-project/

 

[Brian]

Markus,

To facilitate funding it, you may want to consider a special price NMB "pre-production" edition that can be paid for now at a discount, and a higher price when they are released. If you come up with some figures, I can run a poll to see how many would be interested in pre-paying for a lower price when it is released. Just a thought. May or may not be feasible.

I also think that including as many obscure smiths as possible would be a goal. There are many out there that have little to no info on them that would be great if brought out into the open.

 

Am I correct in assuming that you are only including Gendaito in the collector's sense, or will you be including Showato?

 

Brian

[Stephen]

what is the starting point ?

[cabowen]

I look forward to the results and again applaud you for your efforts.

 

If I hadn't already invested considerable time and money towards my own publication I would be happy to share all the material I have collected but at this point I had better just finish my own project. Plus, once my house is finished (soon), I wouldn't have anything to do! :lol:

 

If there is something I can help with, please let me know....

[george trotter]

Yes we do need this gendaito compilation.

There is a lot of interest in the west about gendaito smiths. I for one would put my name down for it.

My particular interest is for Taisho-Showa period 1912-1945 (and those continuation lines into postwar), but many also include in their study Meiji 1868-1912 and shinsakuto 1954 to present....so there is a nice wide area here.

 

I also hope Chris finishes his Oshiro soon and gets his work out (only Tokyo?).

 

Looking forward to them,

Regards,

[SwordGuyJoe]

If there is a "pre-publication-purchase" list, please sign me up

[Markus]

@Chris: Thanks for your offer. I will surely have the one or other question when the time comes. Also your project will greatly contribute to the topic and close all those gaps I will leave open on the Tokyo-based smiths.

 

@Brian + George: My aim is to cover all smiths from when the Gendai era starts, i.e. around the ban on swords, to shortly after WWII, so to speak until those smiths who passed on their craft to the "new generation of swordsmiths" whose works we classify today as shinsakuto. What I dont want to do is to present a brief list of smiths with oshigata and tangs. I want to make this as complete as possible, working-in all smiths I can get "my hands on," all biographical data I can find, and all those extra little plusses like Token-Bijutsu articles on certain smiths which add additional insights (provided that I get the permission to [re]publish them).

 

In this sense, I started my appeal way in advance so that the Gendaito Project makes the round and people participate in providing reference material. What I dont want is that someone approaches me after the book is released and says that he was following the project with great interest and that he has a bunch of data in his archive concerning this and that smith which would have been great in the book.

 

@Brian + Stephen: I think this is betting big. So probably 450+ pages, US letter format, hardcover. Just to throw out a number, I think the finished book will be somewhere around 120 USD. I would like to expand on your idea Brian and bring into play the NMB as "drop-in center" and "patron" of this project. My suggestion is, if you agree Brian, to run a poll let´s say for how many are willing and committed to pay 50 USD in advance to get then the finished book for 100. All "normal buyers" have to pay later the 120 USD. I don´t want to ask for more than that and if maybe less than 30 are participating in the poll anyway, we drop the pre-order option and I will still pursue the project of course, but then there will be no whatsoever discount. As mentioned, would be great if the realization or rather completeness of this project is due to the support of the members of the NMB!

[Stephen]

count me in,

hope to have info on Tsunahiro before going to print

[Brian]

Markus,

Are you saying that for pre-orders, a $50 deposit and another $50 on completion, whereas later orders pay $120? (Shipping extra I guess)

Sounds good to me. If you confirm that, then I'll post a poll in a day or 2. Completion estimated to be when? I think towards the end of the year would be a good goal?

 

Brian

[Markus]

Brian, yes I had in mind 50 now and 50 after completion (shipping extra and paid at the order).

As for the time frime, I am not sure if I can do this until the end of the year as now the other

big project has priority and I can only start to work on the Gendaito Project in fall. So there

is no hurry and you all know that once started working, I work steady but I am not able to

say if it is going to be January or March at that time. :D

 

Thanks for initiating a poll Brian. I think we should give it a go whenever you have time just

to see the response. Then I have some more food for thought when away (and working on

the other project).

[stephan_hiller]

Sign me up as well.

 

Would also be happy to share pics and all information of my gendaitos.

 

Stephan

[cisco-san]

Markus, do you plan a german version as well?! :D

[Markus]

Hi Klaus, this will be only in English, sorry. Not enough potential buyers to justify all the

work involved for a German version.

[cisco-san]

Hi Markus, many thanks for infomation! So I will buy the english version!

 

By the way, is there a possibility if somebody buy one of your books AND the related e-book too with a special price/discount?

Sometimes I like to have a book in hands and sometimes the e-book is very helpful as well !