Book Review - Japanese Swords, Cultural Icons of a Nation

Having just received a copy of this new book and having had a chance to go through it, here is my review of this new book which is now available .

A lot has changed since the early days of Western interest in Japanese swords. It was only after WW2 that Western interest in Nihonto really began to increase at a significant pace, and people started to look for information that they could easy access and understand.

Prior to this, most references on the Japanese sword were in Japanese, and it was only the most dedicated of collectors that were prepared to tackle the subject matter. The very few English titles available prior to that were scarce and expensive, and appealed to a very small sector of the collector population.

Since that time though, increased access to Japanese swords and increased interest has led to many more books becoming available to the Western market in English and other languages.

One of the newest of these books is the latest Tuttle Publications release, written by author and martial artist Colin M. Roach.

The book is titled "Japanese Swords - Cultural Icons of a Nation" and subtitled "The History, Metallurgy and Iconography of the Samurai Sword" and it is a large format, hard cover book of 176 pages with many colour photos and diagrams of all aspects surrounding the Japanese sword.

Because of the nature of Nihonto, being both art and artifact, there is always a fine line between the so-called "coffee-table" books with lots of pictures and little info, and those that are so technical as to be purely study material with no "eye-candy"

In my opinion, this book seeks out to provide a middle ground, containing stunning photos of Japanese art, history and culture, as well as having a large amount of detail and information for the average enthusiast.

This is not a book you would choose if you wanted in depth information on the Gokkaden, or various smiths or schools of Nihonto over the ages. There are other publications that focus on that info. This is for those beginners, and mid level students and enthusiasts who would like to know more about the history and culture surrounding the Japanese sword, as well as view some stunning diagrams and photos relevant to the subject at hand.

Mr. Roach has tackled a broad range of related subjects with this book. The index spans subjects such as Introduction, through "Appreciating the Japanese Sword", "Creating a Japanese Sword", "History and Culture" and "the Art of Swordsmanship"

The History and Culture section has chapters on swords from the Nara period, Medieval Japanese swords, Edo Swords and Modern Swords, all broken down into further sections.

This book would make a fine introductory reference work on the subject of Japanese swords, but there is a little bit of everything in it from technical aspects to philosophical.

It contains some fine photos explaining the various hada, which are finally shown in photos and not just drawings. There is a good section on etiquette and appreciation, and some explanation of the shinsa process and origami.

Creating the sword, and the polishing thereof has been covered by many publications before, but this section still deserves a read, and the pictures are well done.

The section on Japanese sword Culture and History is where this book shines. Many collectors tend to skim over the cultural significance, and only focus on the sword itself. This book attempts to address that discrepancy.

There is plenty of information on mythology, history, culture, religion, iconography and development of the sword in Japan. Subjects are covered such as "The Sword of Fudo", The Sword of Zen", "The fall of the Edo Period" and many others, and provide many days of reading.

The book also contains quite a few close-up photos of fine swords greatly enlarged, providing excellent study of all the blade characteristics and hataraki.

The section on Modern Japanese Swords also has some excellent reading, including an essay by Canadian swordsmith apprentice Pierre Nadeau who is the only Western apprentice studying swordsmithing in Japan currently. This section again has some stunning pictures and photos, accompanied by some excellent reading on the sword in modern times and its relevance.

The book ends with a section on Swordsmanship, naturally since the author has a 4th Degree in Iaido, and a 3rd Degree in Aikido, and is a teacher of both. The conclusion is a great read on "Passion and Preservation" which hopefully bodes well for the future of Nihonto.

As mentioned, this is not a book to help with kantei or help you to spot a Kiyomaru among a pile of kuzu-uchimono. It is there to provide the interested party with a solid background to the Japanese sword, and give some insight into why they are collected and even more so..why they are so revered. I feel it is an excellent addition to any Nihonto library. In addition to the book, this publication comes with an added bonus: A DVD which features a documentary on traditional Japanese sword making, scenes from an Iaido class and an introduction to the Japanese sword at a shop in Kyoto. This alone should be worth the asking price of the book.

Coming down to price, the book is released at a recommended price of $39.95, but for the moment, it can be had for an absolute steal of under $27 with free shipping as an introductory offer from Amazon Books. At this price, there is no excuse not to pick one up.

The book is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Japan and the Japanese sword.

Brian

Thanks a lot Brian for this resumé

Nice review. Thanks Brian. :D

Would this be the book to recommend to people who want to begin understanding nihonto but do not know were to start?

Eric,

I think this book's main focus would be exactly that..understanding Nihonto. But more in a cultural and historic way than most of the usual beginner books. I would definitely add this to the list of recommended books for novices, although it doesn't replace them. It does not have it's main focus around hataraki or sugata changes or identifying a specific blade etc. It focusses on the tradition itself and understanding why we collect Nihonto. But it does contain some gorgeous photos of koshirae and close-ups of blades. A bit of everything really. It's a good all-rounder, and at that price...no real reason not to get it anyways.

Brian