As announced in NBTHK mailing list a new book by Markus Sesko is out (124 pages, published in June 2010). Author himself describes the book as: My aim with this publication is to make the major genealogies of Japanese swordsmiths and their schools from the kotō to the shintō and shinshintō periods easily accessible to the Western reader, namely in that they are complete and have been revised for the first time, in a single book. The publication begins with a brief introduction to the history of Japanese sword literature. I must say it sounds very promising. Can't wait getting it. I wonder what sources Markus was using and what his genealogy charts are like compared to Nihonto Koza, Yamanaka's Newsletter, Sho-Shin's and more cryptic ones, like Meikan and numerous NBTHK articles over the years. Genealogies often appear differently in various sources and show significant discrepancies. Being listed on Amazon Germany, it is also visible on Amazon UK, but not yet available for orders. It doesn't yet show up on Amazon.Com. The book can be currently ordered via the following links: |
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Update
The book is now available on Amazon UK.
I've received my copy last week and I'm very pleased with it. The book begins with a brief overview of Japanese sword literature and explains what the smith genealogy chart are based upon. The charts are presented in a traditional way, with enough details given to identify a particular smith. At a first glance they appear to provide more detailed view at the genealogy than charts in Nihontō Kōza or Albert Yamanaka's Newsletter.