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