The end of summer is already approaching, so I am happy to do another 50% off eBook sale. This shall be the last one for 2024. 

As usual, it works directly via me. I provide a list of all my eBooks below, showing the regular and the reduced prices. I also linked them so that you can check what the description says but again, DO NOT buy over there at Lulu.com this time. Get in touch with me via “markus.sesko@gmail.com” and pay me directly, either by PayPal using the very same email address or by check or credit card (using the donate button at the very bottom of this page) and I’m going to send you over the eBook. And anyway, if you gave a question, just drop me a mail.

So, grab this chance to fill up your tablets/phones with all references you need. The eBook sale will be up until September 15.

Thank you for your attention!

Akasaka Tanko Roku ….. $8.90 – $4.50
Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords ….. $24.90 – $12.50
Geneaogies and Schools of Japanese Swordsmiths ….. $19.90 – $10
Genealogies of Japanese Toso Kinko Artists ….. $19,90 – $10
Identifying Japanese Cursive Script ….. $14.90 – $7.50
Identifying Japanese Seal Script ….. $14.90 – $7.50
Japan’s Most Important Sword Fittings ….. $14.90 – $7.50
Jukken ….. $14.90 – $7.50
Kano Natsuo I ….. $59.90 – $30
Kano Natsuo II ….. $59.90 – $30
Kantei Reference Book – Hamon & Boshi ….. $19.90 – $10
Koshirae – Japanese Sword Mountings ….. $19.90 – $10
Koshirae Taikan ….. $59.90 – $30
Koto Kantei Zenshu ….. $89.90 – $45
Koto Meikan ….. $39.90 – $20
Legends and Stories Around the Japanese Sword ….. $9.90 – $5
Legends and Stories Around the Japanese Sword 2 ….. $9.90 – $5
Masamune ….. $29.90 – $15
Masters of Keicho Shinto ….. $19.90 – $10
Nihon-koto-shi ….. $29.90 – $15
Nihon-shinto-shi ….. $29.90 – $15
Nihon-shinshinto-shi ….. $29.90 – $15
Shinshinto Meikan ….. $29.90 – $15
Shinto Meikan ….. $29.90 – $15
Shinto Shinshinto Kantei Zenshu ….. $89.90 – $45
Signatures of Japanese Sword Fittings Artists ….. $89.90 – $45
Soken Kinko Zufu ….. $9.90 – $5
Swordsmiths of Japan ….. $89.90 – $45
Tameshigiri ….. $29.90 – $15
The Honami Family ….. $19.90 – $10
The Japanese Toso Kinko Schools ….. $24.90 – $12.50

German Titles:

Die Honami Familie ….. $19.90 – $10
Geschichten rund ums japanische Schwert ….. $9.90 – $5
Geschichten rund ums japanische Schwert 2 ….. $9.90 – $5
Koto Kantei Zenshu ….. $89.90 – $45
Nihon-shinto-shi ….. $29.90 – $15
Nihon-shinshinto-shi ….. $29.90 – $15
Shinto Shinshinto Kantei Zenshu ….. $89.90 – $45

Whilst working on the last two volumes of the Tosogu Classroom to bring this project over the finish line by the end of this year, I would like to announce that we have arrived at Volume 6 of Honma’s Appraisal Diary. This volume, which covers the year 1977, introduces on ca. 324 pages 235 blades, meaning we have now arrived at a total of about 2,300 pages of text and 1,742 featured blades in this series. The price is $89, a little less than the previous volumes because of fewer page count, but the price again includes shipping.

Thank you very much for your attention!

If you would like to order a copy, and/or have any questions, please transfer said amount to, or reach out via: markus.sesko@gmail.com

PS: When this series is complete, we will have reached ca. 4,000 pages of text and ca. 3,000 introduced blades.

The index is listed below.

Index-Vol6

Well, we have arrived at Volume 5 of Honma’s Appraisal Diary. This volume, which covers the year 1976, introduces on ca. 385 pages 285 blades, meaning we have now arrived at a total of about 1,970 pages of text and 1,506 featured blades in this series. The price is yet again $99, which includes shipping.

If you would like to order a copy, and/or have any questions, please reach out via markus.sesko@gmail.com

Dear Readers,

After a too long gap, which is all on me and not on anyone else involved with this project, I am happy to announce that Volume 3 of the series is finished! Yes, this is not a drill; I repeat, this is not a drill! In the next few days, I am tweaking the cover layout to match the first two volumes and check my proof copy upon arrival. After that, Volume 3 is good to go!

That said, for those who pre-ordered the set, please get in touch with me via markus.sesko@gmail.com in case your address has changed the last few years. I will also reach out directly, but if you get in touch with me in case you moved, this would save me some time and is very much appreciated!

Below, I am attaching the table of content of Volume 3. I think I have mentioned this before, but most of Volumes 4 and 5 is already translated and “just” needs proofreading/editing and layout, etc.

I sincerely thank you all for your patience!

TosoguClassroom-Volume3-Contents

Earlier this year, I passed the milestone of writing ten years about Japanese swords and related subjects here on this site. In order to preserve things for posterity, if ever something happens to me or this domain, I put together all articles (sans the Kantei series, which will be published separately) in two volumes, one for swords-related, and one for sword fittings and armor-related articles. The former counts almost 700 pages, and the latter 270 pages, containing roughly 130 and 50 articles, respectively. All articles were carefully edited, mostly in terms of English grammar and typos, and to standardize all punctuation and ortography.

I am now offering both for those who want to have all articles in a collective and form that can be read offline and that saves you from navigating through this website, etc. May also make a nice gift 😉 Reflecting the printing costs for hardcover and color, the books will arrive at $120 and $90 for the sword-related and for the sword fittings and armor-related volume, respectively. A searchable digital version is available as well, which would arrive at $80 and $40.

If you are interested in acquiring a copy, or have any question about them, please reach out to markus.sesko@gmail.com. As always, thank you very much for your attention, and for being so faithful readers here for over a decade!

Content-Swords

Content-FittingsEtc

Well, we have arrived at Volume 4 of Honma’s Appraisal Diary. This volume, which covers the year 1975, introduces on ca. 380 pages 275 blades, meaning we have now arrived at a total of about 1,580 pages of text and 1,222 featured blades in this series. The price is yet again $99, which includes shipping.

If you would like to order a copy, and/or have any questions, please reach out via markus.sesko@gmail.com

As a reference, below are the links to the previous volumes:

I was looking at some quantities of objects passing in specific NBTHK Jūyō and Tokubetsu-Jūyō Shinsa and so I thought it might be interesting for the one and other to see the ebb and flow of numbers over the years. That is, the numbers of objects that pass increases to a certain point and than the corrective kicks in, if you will, and subsequent Shinsa become once again tighter.

As for the years, the current Jūyō system started in 1958, and the first Tokubetsu-Jūyō Shinsa was held in 1971, just so that you get a better idea of the x axis of the two charts below.

Quick post. Wanted to share something I came across a while ago whilst looking up a blade in Satō Kanzan’s Shintō Oshigata. The book features a blade by Hizen Tadakuni (肥前忠国), which shows a hardening pattern in the form of the Kanji characters for “tiger” (虎) and “dragon” (龍), plus the shape of a dragon as well. Just thought you might find this interesting, as I did.

Continuing from the previous post, we have now reached Volume 3 of Honma Junji’s Appraisal Diary.Volume 3 covers the year 1974 and introduces in about 350 pages roughly 255 blades. Total for Volume 3 is $99, which includes shipping.

With Volume 3, we have arrived at about 1,200 pages of text and almost 1,000 blades! Please let me know if you have any questions.

For the advanced Kantei participants, and for those who just love to read about all sorts of sword stuff, I am offering the first five years of Honma ‘Kunzan’ Junji’s Appraisal Diary (Kantō Hibi Shō), which was published in the Tōken Bijutsu magazine of the NBTHK between 1969 and 1983. The translations provide a very valuable insight into the mind of one of the greatest sword scholars of the 20th century, and unlike in “official” blade descriptions, Honma is occasionally quite frank about period attributions and what he thinks about a certain blade.

In about 480 (letter format, paperback) pages, Volume 1, which covers the years from 1969 to 1971, introduces roughly 400 blades, of which many are accompanied by oshigata drawings. Price for Volume 1 arrives at $129.00, which includes shipping.

Volume 2, which covers the years 1972 and 1973, introduces in about 370 pages roughy 300 blades and arrives at $99.00, again, with shipping included.

If you are interested in acquiring a copy or both, please reach out to me via markus.sesko@gmail.com. Thank you!