Leon and Hiroko Kapp & Yoshindo Yoshihara

Well over a thousand years old, the tradition of swordmaking in Japan is one of the most highly regarded metal crafts in the world. This book takes the reader into the workshops of four of Japan's leading sword craftsmen. Each craftsman has a different role in the manufacture of a blade: beginning with taking raw steel and shaping it into a sword with a hardened edge; sharpening and polishing it; forming a collar that fits between the blade and the scabbard; and finally carving the hilt and scabbard out of a single piece of wood.