Research Catalog

Lethal elegance : the art of samurai sword fittings

Title: Lethal elegance : the art of samurai sword fittings / Joe Earle.
Author: Earle, Joe.
Publication: Boston : MFA Publications ; New York : D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers [distributor], ©2004.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	NK6784.A1 E27 2004	Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Description

256 pages : color illustrations, 1 map; 25 cm

Summary

"As the soul of the samurai, the sword is famously both the symbol and the instrument of Japanese military prowess. Less known, at least in the West, is its role as a fashion accessory or status symbol. And more than the weapon itself, it was the sword's metal fittings that reflected the complexities of samurai life, from codes of honor to flamboyant leisure - and that remain among the most sophisticated and accomplished metalwork ever created." "Lethal Elegance presents 150 of these remarkable sword fittings, and is one of the few books in a Western language to focus on their styles and techniques. It discusses the visual effects achieved with different alloys, the evolution of fittings following changes in warfare, the symbolism of motifs, and standards for connoisseurship. Nearly all these fittings were once owned by trained swordsmen, and the weapons they ornamented could surely inflict fatal wounds. But their extraordinary variety and beauty also reveal them as wonders of self-expression and personal style."--BOOK JACKET.

Alternative Title

Art of samurai sword fittings

Subject

Genre/Form

Exhibition catalogs
History

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 236-240) and index.

Contents

Introduction : function and display : Japanese sword fittings from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century (starting p. 11) / Joe Earle -- Uchigatana mounting with floral designs (starting p. 29) -- Iron tsuba from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century (starting p. 33) -- Decoration in the goto style (starting p. 78) -- The Machibori tradition (starting p. 96) -- New materials and techniques (starting p. 105) -- Later Machibori artists (starting p. 139) -- Masters of the Meiji era (starting p. 173)

ISBN

0878466797
9780878466795

LCCN

2004108096

OCLC

ocm57026246
57026246
SCSB-1475576

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library