From raw steel to tempered blade, this text presents a visual account of thencient craft of swordmaking as practiced in modern Japan.

Focusing his expertise on the techniques and history of the bokken—the wooden training sword used by both ancient samurai and today’s swordsmen—the author

Connoisseur's Book Japanese Swords is a Kodansha International publication.

One of the foremost experts on the Japanese sword describes their history andppreciations in this book, with photographs and illustrations.

The samurai sword: a symbol of the spirit of old Japan, it embodies the samurai's steel discipline, unswerving devotion and peerless skill. With its creation, a