Coming up later this year… Its based on the questions I receive on a daily basis translating sword stuff for now 12 years and doing it professionally and full time for almost 10 years. Aim is to give a basic guideline on the Japanese sword, not much technical talk, not going into great detail about kantei, schools, workmanships, and styles, just to provide an orientation guide for those brand new into the subject, to provide a solid basic knowledge from where to proceed (or not). Thus it will be an inexpensive paper-back, nothing fancy, just tips and stuff from my own experience.
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How was the Japanese sword made and why was/is it made that way? What different sword forms do exist, how were they classified, and how do we classify them today? What are all these sword forms like tachi, uchigatana, sashizoe, koshigatana, chiisagatana, tantô, naginata, nagamaki, etc. and why did they emerge? Why are there “art swords,” or rather, what makes a sword an “art sword”? How were swords evaluated and appraised in the past and how is it done today? How and why were all these lists of swordsmiths (meikan) compiled? How do all the past and present swordsmith rankings work and why is there such a thing? How are swords certified/appraised today, i.e. what to do when you want to get papers for your sword and/or have your sword restored. How to recognize fake swords and practical tips for the online sword world. How to study swords hands on and how to get involved in clubs and associations? Tips for collecting or for starting a collection…
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