This completely new encyclopedic reference for the Japanese sword contains about 2,500 terms, many of them illustrated by photos and drawings. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords is an A-Z general encyclopedia covering each and every part of the sword: the blade, the mountings, the fittings, and all their different interpretations. Further, this encyclopedia also explains the literal or etymological meaning of each Japanese term and provides an even deeper insight into the subject.

The legendary sharpness of Japanese swords is widely known, and through the activities of various martial arts practitioner's information on tameshigiri has also become more accessible in the recent years. But, for a large part, this information focusses on modern cutting tests and only briefly discusses the historical aspect. As far as sword collectors are concerned, the subject of tameshigiri has been approached by several experts in the past, but here too information is rather limited. This publication systematically processes this subject for the first time to provide an overview of the historical aspect of tameshigiri. Not only are the developments from mere sword tests to systematic cutting tests are addressed, it also explains the sword testers, the various cuts and set-ups for cuts, and the practice of recording cutting test results on sword tangs for example. It is rounded-off by a reference section which provides examples of tameshi-mei.

Dieses Standardwerk bietet dem Anfanger gesammelt und in einem Band vereint samtliche relevante Informationen zum Thema "japanisches Schwert", dem "nihonto", und dient dem Fortgeschrittenen und erfahrenen Sammler als unverzichtbares Nachschlagewerk. Um diesem Ziel gerecht zu werden, wurden samtliche das japanische Schwert und seiner Teile betreffenden Fachbegriffe, Erklarungen zu den Klingencharakteristika wie hamon, hataraki und boshi, Klingenformen, Schmiedetechniken und Schwertmontierungen und -beschlage aufgenommen, erganzt durch einen detaillierten Abschnitt uber die historischen Hintergrunde, Hintergrundinformationen zum Thema Schwertbegutachtung, einer umfassenden Liste der wichtigsten Schmiedeschulen und vielem mehr.

The purpose of this publication is to provide a basic guide and reference for identifying Japanese seal script. The most effective way of identifying a seal script is by its radical, a graphical component under which the character is traditionally listed in a dictionary. The radicals used here are the Japanese version of the 214 Chinese Kangxi radicals.The first thing to do is to identify the radical under which the character is most likely to have been indexed.To begin with, this dictionary offers a RADICAL SECTION. If you think you found a match with the supposed radical for the seal character in question, then go to the page which lists the characters grouped under that radical. This dictionary contains approximately 4,000 characters. As mentioned, the purpose of this publication is to provide a basic guide and reference. It is not meant as a comprehensive seal script dictionary offering different interpretations of each seal character.

This booklet features all 27 sword fittings that are to the present day designated as juyo-bunkazai (Important Cultural Property) and 28 sword fittings that hold the discontinued status of juyo-bijutsuhin (Important Art Work).

This is the second supplement to the first two kantei volumes. It contains 175 koto, shinto and shinshinto blades in the classical order, namely koto-gokaden, koto other provinces, shinto-centres Kyoto, Osaka and Edo, shinto other provinces and shinshinto. The numbering continues with the last blade of the first supplementary volume, i.e. with number 419.

Dies ist der zweite Zusatzband zu den ersten beiden kantei-Banden. Er beinhaltet 175 koto-, shinto- und shinshinto-Klingen, gereiht im klassischen Sinne, namlich koto-gokaden, koto restliche Provinzen, shinto-Zentren Kyoto, Osaka und Edo, shinto restliche Provinzen und shinshinto. Die Nummerierung erfolgt fortlaufend, d.h. es wird nach der letzten Klinge 419 im ersten Zusatzband fortgesetzt.

I now complete the series with the "Nihon-shinshinto-shi", the history of the shinshinto era of Japanese swords, starting from Suishinshi Masahide's initiation of a new trend around An'ei (1772-1781) to the ban on swords issued by the Meiji government in 1876. As with the "Nihon-koto-shi" and the "Nihon-shinto-shi", the reader should be able to grasp a coherent picture of the backgrounds and scholastic activities around the Japanese sword at the end of the feudal era. Finally, the time scale must not be overlooked: The "Nihon-koto-shi" had to deal with roughly 800 years, from the Nara to the end of the Muromachi period, and the "Nihon-shinto-shi" comprised "just" about 200 years, whereas the shinshinto era lasted only about a century.

Als Abschluss meiner Erweiterung Dr. Honma Junjis Standardwerk "Nihon-koto-shi" folgt nun nach dem "Nihon-shinto-shi" das "Nihon-shinshinto-shi", also die Geschichte der shinshinto-Schwertperiode von ihrem Grunder Suishinshi Masahide bis zum wahrend der Meiji-Zeit verhangten Schwerttrageverbot des Jahres 1876. Gleich der "Nihon-koto-shi" und der "Nihon-shinto-shi" soll auch hier der Leser wieder ein schlussiges Bild uber die Hintergrunde und schulischen Aktivitaten vom Ende des japanischen Schwertes in seinem feudalen Kontext bekommen. Wie schon mit der zunehmenden Urbanisierung der Edo-Zeit erfolgte die Aufarbeitung der shinshinto-Zeit in ahnlicher Weise wie dies schon im Vorgangerwerk "Nihon-shinto-shi" der Fall war, und zwar beginnend mit den grossen Zentren und im konkreten Fall mit der Wiederbelebung der Schwertschmiedekunst durch Suishinshi Masahide, gefolgt von den einzelnen Provinzen, die wieder anhand ihrer "Signifikanz" fur die Schwertwelt als auch im Kontext zu einander abgehandelt werden.

This is the first supplement to the first two kantei volumes. It contains 61 koto, shinto and shinshinto blades in the classical order, namely koto-gokaden, koto other provinces, shinto-centres Kyoto, Osaka and Edo, shinto other provinces and shinshinto. The numbering continues with the last blade of the Shinto & Shinshinto volume, i.e. with number 359.

The purpose of this publication is to provide a basic guide and reference for identifying Japanese cursive script. When you are facing a character written in cursive script identification by the number of strokes cannot be applied any longer as the abbreviated writing style omits certain strokes. So the only effective way of identification is by its radical. For that, this dictionary offers a RADICAL SECTION which provides several examples of how each radical appears in its cursive writing. A match with the supposed radical of the cursive character takes you to the page which lists characters grouped under that radical. This dictionary contains approximately 5.300 characters, but is not meant as a cursive script dictionary with different handwritings of each cursive character, as the aim is to provide a basic guide and reference for identifying them.

This completely new encyclopedic reference for the Japanese sword contains about 2,500 entries, many of them illustrated by photos and drawings. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords is an A-Z general encyclopedia covering each and every part of the sword: the blade, the mountings, the fittings, and all their different interpretations. Further, this encyclopedia also explains the literal or etymological meaning of each Japanese term and provides an even deeper insight into the subject.

An unavoidable difficulty with books that deal with Japanese swords in general is that the workmanship of a smith has to be reduced to its most important characteristics which can be seen on the majority of his works. It is here that this work comes into play, with the motive to provide more concretely described reference examples. Unique is that - depending on the blade - former participant's kantei bids are also addressed. This means that one's own approach and attempt at attributing a blade may also be comprehended. With the 169 introduced shinto and shinshinto blades from altogether 13 provinces, this volume constitutes an extensive reference work. The order starts for shinto with Kyoto, Edo and Settsu, and for shinshinto with Edo.

This book deals systematically, for the first time in English, with all the Japanese toso-kinko schools and sorted by their production sites such as Kyoto, Edo, Mito, Higo and the like. Comprehensive cross references are given for the origins of the individual schools and the master-student relationship(s) of the individual artists, supported by genealogies for the larger schools. In addition, a detailed introduction of the historical context of the Japanese toso-kinko, the manufacturers of sword fittings, is given at the beginning. Also added is an extensive index containing all the names, first names and pseudonyms of the artists introduced in this publication.

An unavoidable difficulty with books that deal with Japanese swords in general is that the workmanship of a smith has to be reduced to its most important characteristics which can be seen on the majority of his works. It is here that this work comes into play, with the motive to provide more concretely described reference examples. Unique is that - depending on the blade - former participant's kantei bids are also addressed. This means that one's own approach and attempt at attributing a blade may also be comprehended. With the 189 introduced koto blades from altogether 19 provinces (including the five gokaden) this volume constitutes an extensive reference work. The order starts in the classical way, namely with the gokaden Yamato, Yamashiro, Bizen, Soshu and Mino.

After about two years we are proud to present the second catalogue of the Nihonto-Club Germany. Again, and with the support of our members, we have collected and catalogued altogether 31 blades whereas this time tsuba and kodogu also appear in the catalogue. This publication not only introduces "well-known" and "classical" items but also fine blades by rare masters like Jitsu'a, Ko-Hoki Sadatsuna, or the 3rd generation Hizen-Tadayoshi for example. The order follows the usual way, i.e. Koto, Sue-Koto, Keicho-Shinto, Shinto, Shinshinto, and Gendaito.

Towards the end of 2012, I published the two-volume project Koto-kantei and Shinto & Shinshinto-kantei, depicting 358 blades from all schools and styles. Recently, I was able to continue with the first Kantei Supplement 1 introducing another 61 blades. In between I received feedback which suggested that a kind of "reverse version" would be practical. This means a guidebook where specific examples of hamon and boshi are depicted instead of more or less detailed schematic representations. The result is this small publication which shows about 400 hamon and 230 boshi interpretations. I hope this humble guide will be helpful for identifying specific works, or at least guide you on the right track enabling you to look for further information and confirmation. It also might come in useful for oshigata-based kantei riddles where only the hamon and the boshi are provided.

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.

The Hon ami were the official sword appraisers and polishers of the shogunate. Besides that, they also issued origami appraisals for blades. This book provides an overview of the different lineages of the Hon ami, introduces individual family representatives, and also deals with their works, the practice of origami, sword appraisal, and much more.

Eine nicht zu vermeidende Problematik bei allgemeineren Buchern uber japanische Schwerter ist ja, dass die Arbeitsweise eines Schmiedes auf die wichtigsten, sich auf seinen meisten Klingen wiederzufindeden Merkmale reduziert werden muss. Hier setzt nun dieses Werk an, dessen Hintergedanke es war, mehr konkret beschriebene Referenzbeispiele bereitzustellen, die noch dazu im Sinne eines kantei, also einer Schwertbegutachtung, abgehandelt werden. Einzigartig ist hier, dass - je nach Klinge mehr oder weniger umfangreich - auch auf fruhere Gebote von kantei-Teilnehmer eingangen wird, sprich eigene Ansatze bei der Zuordnung einer Klinge konnen so ebenfalls nachvollzogen werden. Mit 169 vorgestellten shinto- und shinshinto-Klingen aus insgesamt 13 Provinzen bietet dieser Band ein umfangreiches Referenzwerk. Die Reihung beginnt fur shinto mit Kyoto, Edo und Settsu, und fur shinshinto mit Edo.

The aim of this publication is to make the genealogies of the Japanese tsuba and t s -kink schools easily accessible to the reader, namely in that they are complete and have been revised for the first time, in a single book. The book contains 120 genealogies of all the major schools, divided up into two sections: the tank who worked in iron, and the t s -kink who processed soft metal. For a better use of the genealogies, an extensive index is added at the end of the book.

This work focuses on the explanation and the origins of the most common terms in the field of tsuba, kod gu, and t s gu. Terms from all areas are explained in detail, like z gan (inlay), hori (carvings), iroe (colouring), sukashi (openings), d gu (tools), jigane (raw materials), jimen (surface and surface finish), etc. Most of the explanations are supported by illustrations.

In the last years and decades several publications and translations on the subject of the Japanese Sword have been published in the West. In this way, the historical background, the characteristics of the blades, smiths, and schools, as well as the art of sword forging, and the sword fittings were introduced and explained. The aim of this publication is now to bring the reader closer to the role the Japanese sword " the nihont " played in the warrior class and the Japanese society, namely by the means of legends, stories, and anecdotes on famous swords and their swordsmiths, embedded in an explanation of the background and other relevant facts. In the end, the reader should have an idea about the high value that was placed on this proverbial legendary weapon that span than a thousand years of Japanese history (and even still today as an object of art). The aim was to obtain a balance between easy access for beginners and detailed facts for confirmed enthusiasts.

My aim with this publication is to make the major genealogies of Japanese swordsmiths and their schools from the kot to the shint and shinshint periods easily accessible to the Western reader, namely in that they are complete and have been revised for the first time, in a single book. The publication begins with a brief introduction to the history of Japanese sword literature. Ziel dieser Publikation ist es, dem westlichen Leser die Stammb ume japanischer Schmiede und deren Schulen von der kot - ber die shint - bis zur shinshint -Periode erstmals gesammelt und revidiert zug nglich zu machen. Diese Publikation beinhaltet zudem eine kurze Einf hrung in die Geschichte der japanischen Schwertliteratur.

Nach etwas uber zwei Jahren freuen wir uns, bereits den zweiten Katalog des Nihonto-Club Deutschland prasentieren zu konnen. Erneut haben wir mit Unterstutzung unserer Mitglieder Klingen gesammelt und katalogisiert, diesmal 31 an der Zahl, wobei auch tsuba und kodogu Einzug in den Katalog gefunden haben. Es sind dabei nicht nur "altbekannte" und "klassische", sondern auch sehr seltene anzutreffende Meister wie z.B. Jitsu'a, Ko-Hoki Sadatsuna oder die 3. Generation Hizen-Tadayoshi vertreten. Die Reihung erfolgt in gewohnter Manier, sprich Koto, Sue-Koto, Keicho-Shinto, Shinto, Shinshinto, und Gendaito.