{"product_id":"art-of-the-samurai-japanese-arms-and-armor-11561868-9780300142051","title":"Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor  1156-1868","description":"\u003cp\u003eSamurai arms and equipment are widely recognized as masterpieces in steel  silk  and lacquer. This extensively illustrated volume is published in conjunction with the first comprehensive exhibition devoted to the arts of the samurai. It includes the finest examples of swordsthe spirit of the samuraias well as sword mountings and fittings  armor and helmets  saddles  banners  and paintings. The objects in the catalogue  drawn entirely from public and private collections in Japan  feature more than 100 officially designated national treasures and important cultural properties. Dating from the 5th to the 19th century  these majestic works offer a complete picture of samurai culture and its unique blend of the martial and the refined.  Many of the greatest Japanese blade makers are represented in this volume  from the earliest koto (\"old sword\") masters such as Yasuie (12th century) and Tomomitsu (14th century) to the Edo-period smiths Nagasone Kotetsu and Kiyomaro. These blades  cherished as much for their beauty as for their cutting effectiveness  were equipped with elaborate hilts and scabbards prized for their exquisite craftsmanship and materials  including silk  rayskin  gold  lacquer  and alloys unique to Japan  such as shakudo and shibuichi. Japanese armor is also fully surveyed  from the rarest iron armor of the Kofun period (5th century) to the inventive ceremonial helmets made toward the end of the age of the samurai.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45652326187061,"sku":"ByrdShop_0300142056","price":185.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780300142051.jpg?v=1781851170","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/art-of-the-samurai-japanese-arms-and-armor-11561868-9780300142051","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}