Japanese Sword Guards-Art of War

JAPANESE SWORD GUARDS-ART OF WAR by Gary Murtha- A 300 page (250 color pages), soft cover book that contains over 450 photos of over 250 different tsuba. I set out to make this book different than previous tsuba reference books. Although it contains extensive information on artists, schools, extensive genealogy, styles, techniques, family crests, and history, it also delves into related areas that most books fail to cover. I have used a kaleidoscope of ideas, stories, facts, and images to show the direct relationship tsuba have with Japanese art, history, folk legend, religion, nature, things related to everyday Japanese life, and of course the samurai warrior. Read about the three-legged toad, the white rabbit of Inaba, Saigo the monk, the eight views of omi, the heike crab, the mythical kirin, sake Sojo, Anchin and Kiyohime, the magical tea kettle, the fox's wedding, the demon Shuten Doji, the story of Yoro-yama, and Ono no Michikaze. Find out who the seven sages of the bamboo grove are. Learn about the battle at Sekigahara, the Gempei Wars, and the warriors Minamoto Yoshitsune, Kata Kiyomasa, Takeda Shingen, Nobushige, and more. In a kaleidoscope, many parts are moved in position to one another, inviting the viewer to look at the tsuba in a new and different way. This book is loaded with both facts and color plates of both kinko and iron tsuba with an emphasis on iron tsuba, Heianjo and Onin. Weighing in at 18 ounces and 6x9 inches, this book is a convenient size making it easy to carry with you as reading material on airplane trips, at gun and sword shows, and of course at home. A massive amount of information is at your fingertips. This is a must addition to any serious collector's library. Due to the amount of photos and illustrations, this will only be offered as a print book.