zoom_in

Cutting Edge: Japanese Swords in the British Museum (HARRIS, Victor)

850 CZK
Tax excluded

“As well as being a deadly weapon and a unique work of art, the sword in Japan is imbued with a spiritual essence. An appreciation of such beauty, deriving from the laws of nature, is central to the Japanese aesthetic. Like the study of ceramics, the study of the Japanese sword blade as an art form is the study of technical excellence, elegance of shape and beauty of texture.”

Reference: 10178
Availability: In Stock (1 item)
Condition: Used
Quantity
Last items in stock

Book Details

Language
English
Hardcover/Paperback
hardcover
ISBN
0-8048-3680-9
Year
2005
No. of pages
160
Edition
1st Edition
Weight
1 031 g
Quality Check
book is complete, there are no pages missing
Condition
minor scuffs on the covers, slightly torn dust jacket in the corner on the back, otherwise very good condition
Publisher
The British Museum Press
Place of publishing
London

Description

“As well as being a deadly weapon and a unique work of art, the sword in Japan is imbued with a spiritual essence. An appreciation of such beauty, deriving from the laws of nature, is central to the Japanese aesthetic. Like the study of ceramics, the study of the Japanese sword blade as an art form is the study of technical excellence, elegance of shape and beauty of texture.” – from the Introduction


In no other culture has the sword been developed to such a level of technological excellence and attained such a position of spiritual importance as in Japan. As a cutting weapon, the fully developed curved sword of the samurai is extremely effective. Complex traditional methods of forging, conducted according to the ancient precepts of reverence and cleanliness of the Shinto religion, impart these special qualities, producing countless varying hues and patterns in the crystalline structures of the steel. The Japanese sword has been appreciated as an art object since its perfection some time during the tenth century AD. Fine swords have been more highly prized than lands or riches, those of superior quality being handed down from generation to generation. Well-documented swords, whose blades are signed by their makers, survive from nearly a thousand years ago, making the study of the sword a guide to the flow of Japanese history.

This book catalogues over 160 swords and mountings dating back as far as the fourteenth century, arranged chronologically by school or province of maker. Blades are shown complete and many also in detail using specially commissioned digital photography. The introduction, which traces the historical development of the Japanese sword, is illustrated with a selection of prints, paintings and screens, together with detailed drawings explaining the various shapes and types of sword. Also provided is a comprehensive glossary of Japanese terms as well as a list of present-day place names.


Cover illustrations: ® The Trustees of the British Museum

About the Author

16 other products in the category

A Concise History of MEXICO (HAMNETT, Brian)

Kniha v anglickém jazyce... The book's prime objective is accessibility to a range of readers, including those interested in gaining a broad general knowledge of Mexico and those across the professions anxious to secure a rapid but clear understanding of a subject where there are few starting points.

200 CZK

The Melody Lingers On (HIGGINS CLARK, Mary)

As an assistant to a famous upscale interior designer, Lane Harmon, mother to four-year-old Katie, is accustomed to visiting opulent homes around the tristate area. So when she is called to a modest town house in Bergen County, Lane knows the job is unusual. Then she learns the home belongs to the wife of a notorious and disgraced financier named Parker Bennett...

85 CZK

Face Perception (BRUCE, YOUNG)

Face Perception provides an up-to-date, integrative summary by two authors who have helped develop and shape the field over the past 30 years. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book is invaluable reading for all students and researchers interested in studying face perception and social cognition.

1,350 CZK

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Rowlingová, J. K.)

Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing - if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him?

400 CZK
  • Out-of-Stock

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (SHAFFER - BARROWS)

It’s 1946 and author Juliet Ashton can’t think what to write next. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey - by chance, he’s acquired a book that once belonged to her - and, spurred on by their mutual love of reading, they begin a correspondence...

280 CZK

Brooke Shields: There Was a Little Girl

The Real Story of My Mother and Me. "My feelings about my mother and about our relationship are so confused that to write them down with clarity would mean I had them all figured out, which I do not." — BROOKE SHIELDS'S DIARY, 1984

280 CZK

Managing Humans (LOPP, Michael)

Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager, Third Edition. Read hilarious stories with serious lessons that Michael Lopp extracts from his varied and sometimes bizarre experiences as a manager at Apple, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, Symantec, Slack, and Borland.

750 CZK

How the States Got Their Shapes (STEIN, Mark)

How the States Got Their Shapes is the first book to tackle why our state lines are where they are. Here are the stories behind the stories, right down to the tiny northward jog at the eastern end of Tennessee and the teeny-tiny (and little known) parts of Delaware that are not attached to Delaware but to New Jersey. 

300 CZK

Kusamakura (SOSEKI, Natsume)

A lyrical masterpiece by the father of modern Japanese literature. Notsume Soseki's Kusamakura follows its nameless young artist-narrator on a meandering walking tour of the mountains. At the inn at a hot spring resort, he has a series of mysterious encounters with Nami, the lovely young daughter of the establishment. Nami, or "beauty," is the center of this elegant novel...

200 CZK
  • Out-of-Stock