"TSUBA-Japanese Sword Guards" 2012 book by Gary Murtha, containing information on over 65 tsuba making schools and groups, an artist index with information and kao and kakihan of nearly 2,000 artists and illustrations of over 60 b/w tsuba.
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My first book about Japanese tsuba was published in 1981 and was titled The Tsuba. I followed up with Japanese Sword Guard Artists in 1982 and The Samurai Sword-American Perspective Vol. II Fittings in 1984 that contained information on nearly 2,000 artists. All of my books have been out-of-print for close to thirty years. In 2001 a masterful 3 volume set titled Index of Japanese Sword Fittings & Associated Artists by Robert Haynes was published, but it is now difficult to find and price prohibitive for many collectors. The set contains an index of 12,560 artists and should be in every collector’s library if at all possible. Last year I started work on this tsuba book because I felt that an economical alternative was needed for those who cannot afford the high-end books. By using OCR technology I was able to activate portions of my book, The Samurai Sword-An American Perspective Vol. II Fittings, add illustrations and expand the information in the section covering tsuba schools and groups. However, this didn’t allow me to upgrade my charts of artists, kao and kakihan. So, the original “Artist Index” with its nostalgic, worn typewriter fonts, crooked lines and pasted kanji are once again offered here. I hope this book serves you well.