B497. Teiryo Yoji by Honami Koson & others

$345.00

B497.  Teiryo Yoji by Honami Koson.  Translated and edited by Albert Yamanaka and David Scott.  1984.  Hardbound with a slipcase, 9 1/4 x 12 1/4″, 438 pages in English and Japanese.  From a limited edition of 300 copies.  Homami Koson was the head of the Honami family of sword appraisers for the 1st half of the 20th Century.  Teiryo Yoji originally existed as 6 hand drawn scrolls and is the Honami family record book.  Of the 6 scrolls, 4 were lost during WWII, the whereabouts of another are unknown, and this one was given to Mr. Yamanaka by Mr. Honami.  This book is that scroll.

What you get here is not oshigata of actual swords.  Rather, these are drawings of what a typical sword by a particular smith should present along with notes about what to expect in the sword (nie, hada, etc.).  Well over 800 smiths and drawings are included, with thousands of notes.  There are pages of text interspersed with the drawings.  This is an invaluable reference, incredibly useful.

Condition is excellent.  8 pounds. $345.