Clive Sinclaire

from dust jacket

The history of Japan over the last thousand years is largely the history of the elite military class, the samurai warriors. The samurai were an entire and separate class in society. Until late in the ninetenth century they had an absolute monopoly on the bearing of arms in Japan . They followed a special code known as bushido, a philosophical foundation of a 'freedom from fear', and epitomized the ideals of patriotism and devotion to military duty. This spiritual philosophy, which in the last century imspired the country in its headlong drive to modernization, was carried through also into the design, production, decoration, wearing, and use of samurai armor and weapons. The influence of the sumurai was one that was created by force of arms, which, although initially influenced in the 7th and 8th centuries AD by mainland Asia, quickly developed into styles that were totally Japanese in character and are impossible to confuse with those of any other nation.

Following decades of painstaking research, the author provides an intruguing, scholarly, yet highly readable history of these fascitnating weapons and the men who made and fought with them. This wonderfully illustrated book displays in spectular photographs, most of which are in color and many of which have never been published before, the most important samurai weapons of all-various types of long and short sword, polearms, bows and arrows, and firearms,-as well as the dramatic forms of head and body aromor designed specifically for samurai-versus-samurai combat.

The spirit of the samurai lives on today in the practitioners of iaido, kendo, and th other martial arts. Japanese swords in particlular are still made today, using centuries-old techniques, and may be seen as another embodiment of the samurai ethic. Although they have no practical applications outside of marital arts, the artistic properties inherent in their construction can only be admired. Now, as always, the weapons and armor of the samurai, as well as being incredibly efficient in their terrible work, have a beauty of both form and texture greatly appreciated throughout the world and are of immense fascination to the modern collector and military history enthusiast alike.

For over thirty years Clive Sinclaire had been a memeber of the To-ken Society of Great Britain, the oldest club in Europe dedicated to the study and preservation of Japanese swords and armor, of which he is currently the Chairman. For most of this time he has also been a member of the NBTHK (Nihon Bijitus To-ken Hozon Kyokai), the leading study and preservation society in Japan. He began learning marital arts, specifically judo, in the 1960's, and it was this that introduced him to Japanese samurai culture and sparked a particular interest in the Japanese sword. He soon realized that a passing interest in such things was not good enough and it was necessary to examine the subject studiously an obsessively. The martial arts, particularly kendo in which Clive is 4th Dan, continue to provide a practical complement to his academic study of the Japanese sword and the peculiarly Japanese culture of the samurai. Clive has made many trips to Japan over the years with the express intention of stydying good swords. This has led to the establishment of many relationships with aritsans and swordsmiths in the modern Japanese sword world, many of whom have given freely and generously of their knowledge and experinece in this exaction area of study. He has written many articles on various apects of the Japanese sword and is the editor of the English language magazine on the subject entitled Nihon-to.

Sinclair, C: SAMURAI: The Weapons & Spirit of the Japanese Warrior; London. Salamander. 2001. Hardcover in dustjacket. 10.75' x 11.25'. 144 pages. Glossary. Index. Profusely illustrated with colour and b/w photographs and illustrations. In fine condition. This book covers of a little-known era of military history with excellent photographs of samurai weapons and full technical descriptions. It displays in photographs, most of which have never been published before, the most important samurai weapons of all - various types of long and short swords, polearms, bows and arrows, and firearms, - as well as the dramatic forms of head and body armour designed specifically for samuari-versus-samurai combat. It is an interesting history of the Japanese samuari warriors and their weapons. The Contents includes: What is a Samurai?; The Samurai's Armour; A Brief History of Japanese Swords; The Sword of the Samurai (Nihon-to); Polearms (Yari, Naginata and Nagamaki); Archery (Yuni and Ya); and Guns of the Samurai (Tanegashima). ....

Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 What is a Samurai?
Chapter 2 The Samurai's Armour
Chapter 3 A Brief History of Japanese Swords
Chapter 4 The Sword of the Samurai (Nihon-to)
Chapter 5 Polearms (Yari, Naginata and Nagamaki)
Chapter 6 Archery (Yumi and Ya)
Chapter 7 Guns of the Samurai (Tanegashima)
Glossary
Bibliography
Index… (meer)

Japanese swords, and particularly those wielded long ago by the famous samurai warriors, hold a continuing fascination for collectors of fine arts and historical military weapons. This book will doubtless enhance the appreciation of the wide variety of Japanese swords (a well as the related polearms), their manufacture, and their preservation.

A fascinating opening section of the book explains how the elite samurai class dominated Japan and her people's way of life for more than a thousand years, how technological and ideological advance overtook the samurai in the 1860s, heralding more up-to-date political and military systems of governance, and how such changes affected sword design and manufacture.

Important though the samurai period was, aspects in other sections of the book will rightly be seen as being of more relevance to today's sword collector: namely, the chapters on the modern Japanese sword; different types of swords and their construcion and testing; collecting and studying Japanese swords ( and the tremendously important etiquette involved); and the techniques of preserving and polishing swords.

The pages are floridly illustrated with dynamic paintings, specially taken photogaphs, detailed diagrams, and maps. In addition, there is an indepth glossary, while also included are most useful tables explaining many Japanese calligraphy symbols, both of great reference value to the collector.

Clive Sinclaire is an instructor in the kendo form of martial arts and has been collecting Japanese swords for more than forty years. He is Chairman of the To-ken Society of Great Britain and frequently writes articles on Japanese sword culture and collecting that are featured on the society's website (www.To-ken.com), as well as in magazines. He has become a frequent visitor to Japan in the coures of his research and studies, and in particular to the NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu To-ken Hozon Kyokai)sword shows.

For 700 years Japanese civilization was dominated by a single warrior caste. This project looks at the weaponry of Samurai men and women over the centuries with specifically commissioned photography of reenactors wearing and museum-quality clothing and weaponry.

An outstanding book for the serious collector or just for someone interested in the role the Japanese swords played in the long history of Japan. This book is a must have reference book for any collector whether new or advanced. The cost of this book is a fraction of what it would be for any similar type of book written in the Japanese language.- John Parker

Contents

Introduction and acknowledgments
Glossary
Section One
The rise and fall of the samurai
Development of the Japanese sword
Historical backgroaund to Hizen-to
Section Two
The modern Japanese sword
Japanese polearms
Swords: Tpes, construction, and testing
Section Three
The etiquette and customs for sword appreciation and viewing
Collecting and studying Japanese swords
Preservation, Shinsa, polishing
Appendix
Transliterations: Periods, Provinces, Swordsmiths' names
Index… (meer)

Samurai Swords – A Collector’s Guide: A Comprehensive Introduction to History, Collecting and Preservation of the Japanese Sword by Clive Sinclaire is an all-encompassing guide to this wonderful (and expensive) hobby.

I have always liked edged weapons. I used to collect knives (sold my collection a while ago except a few choice items), am interested in the process, history, art and, of course, an avid watch of Forged in Fire. When I was offered to review Samurai Swords – A Collector’s Guide: A Comprehensive Introduction to History, Collecting and Preservation of the Japanese Sword by Clive Sinclaire I immediately jumped on the opportunity.

This is a coffee table style book, which is both easy to understand and have enough information to use it as a reference guide. Even though I have had interest in these edged weapons for decades, I still learned many things from reading this book and, hopefully, sound less stupid when conversing about them with others.

The book is designed beautifully and the sections flow one into each other, but can still be skipped or read independently. The narrative guides the reader from the ancient, to the old, to the contemporary helping to appreciate each style and time, as well as know what to look for in collections.

This volume has many wonderful pictures, illustrations, and excellent detail about recognizing the historical accuracy of Samurai swords. The author also goes into detail on the way a layman can tell the difference between a real sword and a fake one.

As with any high-end collectible, or anything which has a remote chance of separating one from their money, this area also has many fakes, some of which are very good. A guide like this is valuable for anyone looking to start their collection, or just know more about the fascinating Samurai swords.

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