Nippont‪ō‬

Cold and ruthless offensive tools, in the course of time Japanese swords have earned their own metaphysical dimension in the public imagination, becoming real cult objects in the most modern meaning of the expression and evolving into a noble and fascinating icon of oriental art and culture.

Their history, the legends and the constructive technologies that have been passed down over the generations, their intrinsic and symbolic values are the underlying theme of a text that lends itself to multiple approaches: the documental one, focusing on the evolution of swords throughout the different eras of Japanese history. The mythical dimension, evoking tales of unbreakable and incredibly sharp blades, of ghosts and deities, of swordsmiths who had become themselves a Japanese "living national treasure", on a par with swords still being treasured with respect and veneration. The cultural and artistical approach, with hundreds of gorgeous and previously unreleased colour photographs of blades, mountings and accessories.

Lastly, the detailed technical elaboration by means of a real "sword's anatomization": both lovers and experts will have the opportunity to tackle any single detail, skillfully reconstructed into evocative illustrations and tridimensional views. The picture is completed by several historical reference tables, a particularly rich glossary and a series of theorical and practical indications, so to help the reader move with consciouness within the enthralling yet complex international market of Japanese swords.