Hakusui Inami

(from Preface) 'Nippon-to' was written to answer the countless questions and to fulfill the desire for information of the hundreds of Allied military personnel who came into contact with Japanese swords during combat and later when thousands of blades (along with other weapons) were collected from the Japanese by the Occupation Forces and distributed as war trophies. Possessors of swords had nowhere to turn for reliable knowledge of the history and other facts about these extremely interesting souvenirs. As well as I have been able to ascertain there is nothing of any length in English on this subject readily available to the average person, there being only a few scattered paragraphs in this publication or that , or some little known volume in the archives of the larger museums. True, there are many books about the sword in the Japanese language, but even if it were a simple matter to have them translated (which it decidedly is not!) the results would not be satisfactory. The reason is that written matter pertaining to all things concerning the sword was intentionally vague and misleading in order to keep the subject mysterious and maintain in the commoner a feeling of awe for the weapon. Many a Japanese self-styled expert, after reading these books, rushed to American military authorities and were hired to assist in the huge task of classifying th swords collected. Many more, in attempts to gain the friendship of accupation personnes, volkunteered information (most of which was false) to soldiers possessing blades. Contact with these 'experts' has left many a false impression in the minds of those who talked with them. It should be remembered that the vast majority of Japanese know little or nothing about Samurai swords, even the Daimyo (military governors of provinces under the feudal system) employed experts at sword polishing and appraising just as they would a gardener. With this in mind an attempt has been made throughout this book to expalin how to distinguish old, genuine blades from new or imitation ones. Contents Foreword Chapter I--Introduction Chapter II--Nomenclature of the Blade and Related Facts Chapter III--Forging and Tempering Chapter IV--Polishing Chapter V--History 'Old' Swords Chapter VI--Gokaden and Shinto Chapter VII--Koshirae Japanese Eras with Corresponding Christian Dates List of the Most Famous Japanese Sword Makers and Comparative Values of Swords… (más)