Books Marcus sessko encyclopedia of Japanese swords.

[Paz]

Hi all. I finished reading clive sinclair great book samurai swords. Ive also got paul Martins Japanese sword. 

 

My question is how good is Mr sesskos book, and does it add further knowledge to what I may have already read in clive and Paul's book. 

 

Thanks 

[Geraint]

Dear Paz.

 

The two books you already have will give you a good general picture of the field, The Encyclopedia is exactly what it says it is, an extensive list of the trems used and their definitions.  It is a very useful book to have but if you are looking for some deeper dives in tot he overll feild of learning then The Conoisseurs Book of Japanes Swords, Kokan Nagayama might be more useful to you.

 

I am very sure that others will add to this list for you, be prepared to build a library. 

 

All the best.

[Paz]

19 minutes ago, Geraint said:

Dear Paz.

 

The two books you already have will give you a good general picture of the field, The Encyclopedia is exactly what it says it is, an extensive list of the trems used and their definitions.  It is a very useful book to have but if you are looking for some deeper dives in tot he overll feild of learning then The Conoisseurs Book of Japanes Swords, Kokan Nagayama might be more useful to you.

 

I am very sure that others will add to this list for you, be prepared to build a library. 

 

All the best.

Thanks Geraint 

 

Unfortunately the book by Nagayama is out of print,  and very expensive at the moment. 

 

The books I have read are,

John Yumotos samurai sword 

And the ones I mentioned. 

 

So yes I'm happy for suggestions. 

 

 

[Geraint]

Goodness!  That's a bit of a shock but keep your eyes open, often the silly prices can be beaten by a sneaky scan of the obvious sites.

I don't yet have a copy of this one but I think it will be very good, 

Study of Japanese Swords: Chronological Study of Japanese Swords and Japanese History Paperback – 13 July 2021.  It's about 30 quid on Amazon.

by Yurie Endo Halchak (Author)  Check out the author and her very good website here, 

 

 

All the best.

[WillFalstaff]

Hey Paz,

 

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=9784770020710&n=100121503&cm_sp=mbc-_-ISBN-_-used

 

I got mine from AbeBooks last week, used. My wife is a librarian and she asked if it was brand new. I told her it was sold as used. She said if it was, no one ever cracked it open. Worth the price and as others said it’s tons of information. 

 

I also have The Art of Japanese Sword Poishing by Takaiwa, Yoshihara, Leon and Kapp. I think studying and owning nihonto is important, but if you don’t understand the process of traditional polishing you are bereft of important insight. I think a lot of well-respected sword appraisers are, or have been, polishers (including Nagayama). 

 

I also have Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords: A Collector’s Guide by Nakahara and Martin.

I need to get Sinclaire’s book. 

[Katsujinken]

Connoisseur’s is in print, but it’s admittedly not cheap at $75: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1568365810/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_YG3K7NHBJK914PKWBCV8 

[Paz]

Thanks all. I'm looking at getting art of the Japanese sword , kubos translation with Paul martin. 

[Surfson]

I have to say that Markus' encyclopedia is a fantastic book.  As you are getting in to the field, I recommend that sooner rather than later you try to build your recognition of the kanji that are used.  These are not only useful as you learn to translate sword tangs and determine the maker, but also come up in the better reference books, that tend to be in Japanese.  Markus puts kanji alongside the Japanese words written in Romaji.  I enjoy having his encyclopedia in hand when I read his other books or books by other authors, as it not only helps with the precise definition of words or phrases but also gives the reader the translation into kanji.  

[Stephen]

Any updates on his Gendaito book?

I might have to cash in my prepay. 

Got a itch for a sword.

[Voncrack]

Having started out with much much reading around 6 months ago, I cant recommend the connoisseurs guide enough. I got mine through an online retailer and it wasn't over the top expensive and was definetly worth the money. 

 

Tim N

[DTM72]

There is one copy of "The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords" at the link below for just under $50.59 with free shipping. There were two copies, but I bought one of them. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265540067603

 

[noneed2hate]

The Encyclopedia is an excellent supplemental book, glad I picked up a copy myself, but I would go with what the others have recommended first. I find myself using the Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords more than most of the books I've purchased in the last year and fully recommend it. 

[Jaron]

Hello all,

 

I have checked everywhere for Kokan Nagayama’s Connoisseurs Guide to no avail.  All the previous channels are out of stock so far Amazon, Penguin Random House, mainstream book sellers, even eBay, Etsy, etc.  Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I might find it without paying a fortune and more in line with the $75 or so I had seen listed?  Google shopping brought up some exorbitant locations.  I did get Sesko’s Koto Kantei Zenshu and Encyclopedia as well as a few other more specific books but this seems to be a must for my early education.

 

Thanks,

 

J

[zanilu]

Jaron

 

Have you tried abebooks.com? 

 

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&an=Kokan Nagayama

 

Regards

Luca

[Jaron]

Hey Luca, yes they are at roughly $150 for a used copy and $351 new.  A bit spicy for my budget.  It must be out of print and anyone who has it must know.  Amazon is $228+ same thing.  I was hoping to find it for the $75 amount I saw at Penguin Random House before they were out of it.  It was listed above in January for $75 at Amazon.  

Thanks.

[PNSSHOGUN]

It has come up a few times in the classifieds, you can also check with Grey at: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b865-connoisseurs-book-Japanese-swords-kokan-nagayama 

[Rivkin]

I don't have the encyclopedia but any think book by Markus I ever had the privilege to read was a Marvel. Highly recommended irrespective of one's level of knowledge.

[DTM72]

On 6/28/2022 at 6:34 PM, Jaron said:

Hey Luca, yes they are at roughly $150 for a used copy and $351 new.  A bit spicy for my budget.  It must be out of print and anyone who has it must know.  Amazon is $228+ same thing.  I was hoping to find it for the $75 amount I saw at Penguin Random House before they were out of it.  It was listed above in January for $75 at Amazon.  

Thanks.

@Jaron

This seems to be the ONLY place i can find it now. I would call them directly to ensure they actually have it in stock.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/563685/the-connoisseurs-book-of-Japanese-swords-by-kokan-nagayama/9781568365817

 

[Jaron]

Thank you Dan, that was the first place I started and they are backordered too.  Thanks.

[AntiquarianCat]

I was able to get Nagayama’s book cheap on Abe. Prices there fluctuate. I would just wait till a cheap copy comes and then pounce.

[Jaron]

Juan, Thanks for the insight.  I did see a large price differential there between pricey to very pricey.  I’ll keep checking.  Thanks so much!

[Ken-Hawaii]

Amazon gets a bunch of copies, sells them off, & raises prices. But they'll get more in, & price will go down. Seen it many times.