Markus

Some time ago I announced that there will be an English version of my Nihon-shinto-shi, and well, here we go. :D I quote from the blurb: "This book should bring the reader more near to the no less interesting era of the „New Sword“, the shinto. With the transition to the peaceful Edo period, the Japanese sword experienced considerable changes which are briefly touched in some other sword publications. This book now tries to present the historical and scholastic changes of the shinto in a comprehensive manner. The reader should get an idea about the activities of the Edo-period swordsmiths in all the provinces and how – if at all – they were connected in terms of school or workmanship. The classification based on the traditional gokaden is no longer applicable in shinto times and so a more geographical processing suggests itself. In the beginning we have the large sword centres of Kyoto, Osaka and Edo. Subsequently, all other provinces follow, arranged according to their „significance“ in the sword world and in context with each other to avoid as much as possible big geographical and theoretical jumps." Paperback, 440 pages, b/w pictures, price $75.00. It can be found here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/n ... 72126.html And the eBook version here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/e ... 72130.html Thank you for your attention.

I can act as escrow. As suggested by Brian, it might also be a bit easier when I keep my royalties and forward the amount to the printer and the shipping agent.

I think the mei reads "Dôtanuki", although the arrangement is a bit odd... 同田貫

I see "on no kami" (恩の神), lit. "God of Mercy". Really really badly chiselled. Also with the radical added atop of the other one. Strange. Maybe even added by a non-Japanese.

Haha Brian, don´t give me any ideas!

@Andi: Apart from the preface there is not text at all in this book. There are just the pictures of hamon and bosh and underneath the name of the smith. I made this on request. All what follows next is the second volume of our Nihonto-Club Germany catalogue (en/de) and the English version of the Nihon-shinto-shi. Then there will be no more books for a while.

It works for me when I change the coding to Shift_JIS.

If this project turns out to be realized, I am absolutely fine with 30% royalties. I dont want to squeeze the max out of this and I would be happy if the 100 copies for $100 plus shipping are achieved.

That´s true. Well, I don´t want to more fuel to the fire but it is possible to get the hardcover version via amazon.de, it works even from the US as I have been told by one of my customers. I.e. BoD prints and ships to amazon.de and amazon.de to the buyer.

I am still into this. Let the poll decide in which direction it develops.

Alex, I can have you a copy print and sent by Lulu if you PayPal me the amount if you like? I haven´t ordered any copies yet. Please PM me about further procedures.

Parallel to the discussion on my Index, I was able to finish the Kantei Reference Book - Hamon & Boshi announced somewhat earlier on my blog. Detailed info can be found here: http://markussesko.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... k-out-now/ Many thanks for your interest.

Thanks Adrian for the update. Personally, I don´t have any problems with a price under 100$ per copy. It should not fail because of my attempt to be too fair. Any comments of those who already got a copy and who follow this thread? As far as I am concerned, we can go ahead with a poll to have a certain number we can work with.

I am concerned about being kind of fair to those who actually ordered a hard-cover set and want to lay some facts on the table. So far I haven´t sold more than 25 copies of the German set online and about 20 sets directly to colleagues I know in person at the sword meetings. The number of sold hard-cover copies in English is far below 25 in total. I did not expect to sell hundreds of them anyway and priced the set accordingly, also bearing in mind that the outdated Hawley is going over the counter for double the price. This project was in my mind since I got my first Japanese meikan and thought that these short biographies of the smiths are a must and much more useful than just a list of names. As mentioned, I have nothing against this project but doubt that we find magically those 100 buyers and I also guess that those already having a copy will not get a second one. That´s what I meant with "fair", i.e. to see some months later a much better quality set at maybe half of the original price. I think we should lower the printing costs of course but not the cost of the final set too much. With the number of sold copies quoted above, you can easily calculate my earnings for years of work. This is not a complaint and I don´t want to get rich with the index as this project was anyway something personal to contribute to the Western sword world. So maybe we make a poll of how many are willing to get a set at let´s say at least 180 $? Than we have a number at least we can work with. If this project is somehow realized, I will make some donation to the NMB of course. Oh, and last but not least I won´t take the risk. If the project is realized, I would like to work with payment in advance. Not that I am spending like 4.000$ and have to sell them all by my own and at my own risk.

Bob, don´t forget I have to make some money with them as the sets were hell of a work. So there will definitely a noticeable plus to the printing fee of 40 Euro. :D You can find some example pages here (somewhat down the thread): viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13154&

Yes, it is still available in hardcover, although you have to get it either from bod.de or amazon.de. I have been informed that it works even from the US if you order it from amazon.de. http://www.amazon.de/Index-Japanese-Swo ... 81&sr=8-25

Back home I want to share some of my experience. First of all, most of my books did not go beyond the 100-something print-run. When I started to publish my first book (the German version of the Legends and Stories around the Japanese Sword), bod.de fit perfectly as I had really no idea of the number of sold copies, as it was small and ideal for paperback. As Adrian said, the small print run dictates the high price at print on demand. Talking to my colleagues and buyers of my books at the sword meetings I found out that there is a kind of barrier of book prices. As now information is more easily available than 15 or 20 years ago, people are no longer that willing to spend much on high-end books. Well, some do (me included sometimes), but when I think back when I started I bought books in the high three-digit numbers, sometimes with horrible shipping prices. That has definitely changed. The positive thing at the print on demand pulishers like bod.de and lulu.com for me is that all the shipping and the amazon listing is done by them automatically. And the books stay online. At bod.de you have to pay a small fee for data management per book per year but not so at lulu.com (one reason I changed, not only because of the better royalties). What I can read from the author´s contract is that nothing speaks against a limited special edition via an another publisher. But with the number of already sold copies in mind, I have my doubts that we can break the 100-copies barrier with the Index. I haven´t even sold 100 copies so far (German and English together). But I am open for everything. :D

I just saw the thread in the For Sale section and realized that my Index of Japanese Swordsmiths is still not available at amazon.com. That should already be done since fall last year but bod.de obviously did not get it worked. Tu cut a long story short, I´ve uploaded them on Lulu.com. Unfortunately, the don´t offer hardcover with that format so I deducted the costs for that, that´s why the price is lower than the actual price on bod.de. Here are the links: http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/i ... 53489.html http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/i ... 53496.html Oh, and I would like to use this opportunity and say thank you to all of my supporters! [Edit]

David, Klaus is quoting from my book "Index of Japanese Swordsmiths". You can find some info here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13154&p=112887

@Gilles: The English version is basically finished. Just some proof reading and then it might be out in two or three weeks. I keep you all up-to-date. @Jean: The English one was provided by the NBTHK some time ago, with the pics in the Token-Bijutsu magazines. http://www.touken.or.jp/english/nihon_koto_shi.html

Thank you Paul! You all get your copies so fast. I, as the author, have to wait about two weeks. Kind of unfair.

John pointed out an important thing, namely the interplay between what you read and what you see. If there is a fascination and if you don´t get frustrated by setbacks (which happen to anybody), it is a kind of procedure which keeps itself alive. I wanted to say that reading, seeing hands-on what you had read about, re-read about what you just had seen and so on is the key. The only thing you must never do is to rest on your laurels and assume that it is enough for the moment and the end is in sight. There is never ever such an end :D Another tip: Have a certain blade explained when you have the chance to. We often make the mistake and think "Oh it´s ok. I just saw it. I will read about the unclear points when I am back home." This doesn´t work. I experienced that myself quite often.

I just want to inform those who obtained my first two Kantei volumes that there is now a first supplement volume available. It contains 61 blades as seen in the preview of the contents below. FYI: A second supplement volume will not be published before the very end of the year. It can be obtained as usual via Lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/k ... 42701.html And the eBook here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/e ... 42710.html And here the links for the German version: http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/k ... 42643.html http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/e ... 42654.html Thank you for your interest. ContentsKanteiSupp.pdf

@Jeremy: FYI and from my swordsmith index: Hiromasa (広正), 1st gen., Enbun (延文, 1356-1361), Sagami – „Sōshū-jū Hiromasa“ (相州住広正), „Hiromasa“ (広正), student of the 1st gen. Sōshū Hiromitsu (広光), in old sword books we find drawings of -zukuri ko-wakizashi with date signatures from the Ryakuō (暦応, 1338-1342) to the Jōji era (貞治, 1362-1368) but it seems that there are no more works extant by him today, the depicted blades show a hoso-suguha mixed with ko-midare or an hitatsura Hiromasa (広正), 2nd gen., Eiwa (永和, 1375-1379), Sagami – „Sōshū-jū Hiromasa“ (相州住広正), „Sagami no Kuni-jū Hiromasa“ (相模国住広正), first name „Kurō“ (九郎), according to transmission the son of Sōshū Masahiro (正広) and a student of Hiromitsu (広光), ō-gunome, suguha, gunome-midare mixed with togariba, wazamono Hiromasa (広正), 3rd gen., Ōei (応永, 1394-1428), Sagami – „Sōshū-jū Hiromasa“ (相州住広正), „Hiromasa“ (広正), it is said that he also signed with the name „Hiromitsu“ (広光), midare, hitatsura, gunome-midare or suguha Hiromasa (広正), 4th gen., Bun´an (文安, 1444-1449), Sagami – „Sōshū-jū Hiromasa“ (相州住広正), „Hiromasa“ (広正), gunome-midare, suguha or hitatsura in ko-nie-deki, many blades bear horimono, there are relative many works extant from the 4th gen. Hiromasa onwards, we know blades from the Bun´an to the Kanshō era (寛正, 1460-1466), jōjō-saku Hiromasa (広正), 5th gen., Meiō (明応, 1492-1501), Sagami – „Sōshū-jū Hiromasa“ (相州住広正), „Hiromasa“ (広正), gunome-midare or hitatsura in nioi-deki with ko-nie, we know detailed and elaborate horimono, he was active around Bunmei (文明, 1469-1487) to Eishō (永正, 1504-1521), jōjō-saku Hiromasa (広正), 6th gen., Tenbun (天文, 1532-1555), Sagami – „Sōshū-jū Hiromasa“ (相州住広正), „Hiromasa“ (広正), he also worked in Ise province

Something similar is just discussed on facebook: So they don´t allow Magnolia wood and products out of the country?