The Yasukuni swords : rare weapons of Japan, 1933-1945 / Tom Kishida ; translated by Kenji Mishina.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kishida, Tom, 1948-

Contributor:

Mishina, Kenji, 1951-

Standardized Title:

Yasukunitō. English

Language:

English

Japanese

Subjects (All):

Swords--Japan.

Swords.

Japan.

Swordsmiths, Japanese.

Swordsmiths' marks.

Swords--Expertising.

Physical Description:

155 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Rare weapons of Japan, 1933-1945

Yasukunitō : dentō to bi no kyokuchi

靖国刀 伝統 と 美 の 極致

Place of Publication:

Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International, [2004]

Summary:

No other weapon in the world can boast of possessing such a high spiritual quality as the Japanese sword. For over a thousand years the sword was revered as the very soul of the samurai warriors who wielded it, commanding awe, respect, and an almost religious devotion. The tumultuous events of modern Japanese history and the nation's relentless drive toward technological advancement, however, irrevocably sealed the sword's fate, and, along with the samurai class, the sword became an anachronism, both culturally and militarily.

As Japan entered a period of unprecedented Imperial expansion in the early twentieth century, the Japanese sword, despite its limited practical effect, became a feature of the soldier's arsenal-an echo of the mythical status it enjoyed in feudal times. The Yasukuni swords emerged during the build-up to World War II, in part to help meet the huge demands of the Imperial Army, but more importantly out of a desire to preserve time-honored forging methods, and to revive the spirit of the samurai. For these reasons, they were notably distinct from so-called "Showa-to," which were mass-produced and inferior in quality and artistry.

All swords were banned in the immediate aftermath of World War II, and the decades that followed have seen a decline in the popularity of Yasukuni swords, largely because of their associations with that war and the military. Another factor has been the stigma attached to Showa-to, which has helped to stereotype wartime swords in general.

Recent years, however, have seen a renewed interest in the surviving Yasukuni swords. Many collectors and appraisers have acknowledged the workmanship of these swords as displaying a perfect blend of technology and tradition, and a quality that can rival even that of the great classical smiths.

In his tribute to the Yasukuni smiths, acclaimed photographer and sword enthusiast Tom Kishida has compiled an extensive study of these rare and exceptional swords, drawing on a variety of sources to shed light on this often little-understood chapter of Japanese sword history. With his unique eye for capturing the beauty of the blades in his photographs, he has provided the reader with the most lavishly detailed book on Yasukuni swords to date. This will be an important addition to the libraries of specialists and connoisseurs, and to those who wish to deepen their understanding of these fascinating wartime weapons.

Contents:

Swordsmiths and Their Works 11

Hono-to (Dedication sword) 12

Yasuhiro 13

Yasunori 14

Yasumitsu 15

Yasunori 16

Yasutoshi 17

Yasunobu 18

Yasushige 19

Yasuyoshi 21

Yasuoki 22

Yasutake 24

Yasuaki 25

Yasukuni 26

Yasumune 27

Sword to Commemorate 50 Years of the Nihonto Tanren Kai 38

The Japanese Sword After the Meiji Restoration & the Meaning of Yasukuni-to 41

The Nihonto Tanren Kai Foundation 50

Characteristics of Yasukuni-to 54

Workmanship 54

Forging 56

Mei (Signature) 57

Onkashi-to and Hokan-to 71

Tameshigiri 72

Sword Polishers 73

Inspection 73

Completion Ceremony of the Sword Forging Factory and Commencement Ceremony of Sword Forging 77

Forging Center of the Nihonto Tanren Kai 80

Restoration of the Tatara 84

Operation of the Yasukuni Tatara 90

Kotohira Nichiyo-Kigu Kenkyujo 93

Yasukuni Swordsmiths: A Record in Pictures 95

Essays on Yasukuni-to 104

Soldiers and Gunto 104

Memories of the Yasukuni Tanren Kai 106

Hot Water in a Polishing Bucket 107

Centlight and the Japanese Sword 108

On the Workmanship of Yasukuni-to 111

Encounter with Yasukuni-to 112

The Nihonto Tanren Kai Foundation Members 116

Lineage of Tosho and Sakite of the Nihonto Tanren Kai Foundation 118

Certificates of Yasukuni Smith Name 120

Lineage of Sword Polishers of the Nihonto Tanren Kai Foundation 122

Tosho and Sakite 124

Sword Polisher 138

Saya Maker 139

Documents 140

Chronological Table 152.

Notes:

Colophon in Japanese: provides Japanese author and title information.

"Originally published as Yasukuni-to: Dento to Bi no Kyokuchi (Yuzan-kaku Shuppan Kabushiki-gaisha, Tokyo, 1998)"--T.p. verso.

ISBN:

4770027540

OCLC:

57341721