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The art Of Japanese Sword Polishing
[Hardback - 2013]
leon kapp
On Demand
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List Price: $45
Our Price: Rs.10895 Rs.9261
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Additional Category: Military History
Publisher: Kodansha International | ISBN: 9781568365183 | Pages: 192
Shipping Weight: .85 | Dimensions: 7.9 x .7 x 10.6 inches

Description

To understand Japanese sword polishing is to understand the Japanese sword. Down through the years, the great sword connoisseurs in Japan have been sword polishers. A swordsmith can spend a large amount of time forging a classic sword, but refining and bringing out its final shape, color, and texture so that all the details of the steel and hamon (the temper line) are clearly visible is the responsibility of another craftsman—the sword polisher. An experienced polisher can tell immediately by whom a blade was made, so distinctive is each smith’s work and so vital is such knowledge to the skilled polisher.

The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing is the first book in English to examine in great detail the polisher’s techniques—skills it often takes up to ten years of apprenticeship to master. It illustrates the methods, materials, and tools used for this process. But the book’s true aim is to enable the reader to fully appreciate the beauty of a well-crafted Japanese sword. As readers learn both how the sword polisher enhances the beauty of the blade and how he handles the problems of coaxing out its finest qualities through polishing techniques, they will come to a deeper understanding of the fine art of making the Japanese sword and will be able to purchase or collect swords with greater pleasure.

About the Author

LEON KAPP is a molecular biologist at the University of California in San Francisco. He has studied swordmaking in Japan at the forge of the swordsmith Yoshindo Yoshihara.


HIROKO KAPP was active as a graphic artist in Tokyo for ten years and is now a correspondent for the Tokyo-based Senken news organization. The Kapps live in San Rafael, California.


YOSHINDO YOSHIHARA is a tenth-generation swordsmith who is ranked among the top sword craftsmen in Japan today. He began forging blades at the age of twelve and has exhibited several times in the United States. His son is currently working with him and will become the eleventh generation of the family to carry on the tradition.