Lethal Elegance: Samurai Sword Fittings [Hardcover]

Joe Earle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2004

As the "soul of the samurai," the sword is famously both the symbol and 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--from the hand guard to the small decorative plates on the hilt--that reflected the complexities of samurai life. Some fittings were meant to convey the honor and self-control expected of a samurai while on official duty, while other, more flamboyant ones reflected his leisure-time persona as "man about town." Later, when the wearing of swords spread beyond the samurai class, both the decorative function of the fittings and the variety of their designs sharply increased, leading to some of 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 the visual presentation, rather than the function or culture of the sword. It discusses the many effects achieved with different alloys, the evolution of fittings in relation to changes in warfare, the symbolism of particular 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, lavishly illustrated and carefully presented by Joe Earle, also reveal them as marvels of self-expression and personal style.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: MFA Publications; First Edition edition (December 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878466797
• ISBN-13: 978-0878466795
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,387,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best book on fittings, March 4, 2005

By 

Pierre Nadeau "Kogei" (Shimizu, Wakayama, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lethal Elegance: Samurai Sword Fittings (Hardcover)

On top on anything else, this book has the best pictures of japanese sword fittings that I've had the chance to see so far. There are many good close-ups that show well the work done by the craftmen.
Earle goes through explaining the evolution of sword fittings by presenting the influence of History upon the samurai, and their needs.
He also exposes techniques, although not in depth - it is not the purpose of this book - and materials used in the making of the tsuba and other fittings.
I believe he succeeds in bringing the reader to understand the how and the why behind those very impressive works of art.
The works chosen - among the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; probably the greatest collection of japanese swords and sword fittings outside Japan - are just plain divine. The pictures were all taken using digital technology, and -as a photographer - I must say it is above anything I'd have expected from any technology and any subject. A must have for any japanese art/craft/design/sword lover.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly unique and captivating gallery, December 8, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lethal Elegance: Samurai Sword Fittings (Hardcover)

Lethal Elegance: The Art Of Samurai Sword Fittings by Joe Earle is an impressive and seminal artbook showcasing 150 rare and beautiful masterwork fittings for Japanese swords. The full-color photographs reveal beauty and exquisite craftsmanship, while the informed and informative text aptly discusses the effects achieved with various alloys, how fitings changed in response to advances in warfare, symbolism, standards, and more. Nearly all the artworks presented were once owned by trained swordsmen, yet their elegance reveals as much of individual style and personality as they do lethal functionalist. Lethal Elegance: The Art Of Samurai Sword Fittings is a truly unique and captivating gallery which is especially commended to the attention of students of Japanese History in general, and samurai culture in particular.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding collection of Edo to Meiji fittings, June 6, 2010

By 

Joe Pierre (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lethal Elegance: Samurai Sword Fittings (Hardcover)

This 256 page-book is, in essence, a catalog of the fittings held (but not on display) by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, acquired during "the craze for sword fittings that swept Europe and America in the closing decades of the nineteenth century" and donated by benefactors such as William Sturgis Bigelow and Charles Goddard Weld. The collection consists mostly of tsuba (sword guards), kozuka (small knife) handles, fuchi/kashira, along with some menuki and some more modern adornments including the occasional netsuke, tobacco pouch, or decorative box. That vast majority were made during the mid 1700's through the late 1800's spanning the Edo and Meiji eras, during a time when sword fittings shifted from simple, iron-based, utilitarian designs to a wide variety of other softer metals richly adorned with artistic scenes of impossible detail.

In fact, this book, written by Joe Earle, the Chair of the Department of Asian Art at the Boston MFA is something more than your average catalog, since the text for each piece while concise holds an abundance of information about the artist, materials, and artistic techniques employed for each piece. Still, the book's real selling point is the wonderful color photography with close up views of the intricate work involved in each piece, some of it accomplished by the artists looking through magnifying glasses. A variety of artistic styles is presented with a few pieces of older iron 'sukashi' (open design) work, a considerable amount of the wonderful 'shakudo nananko' style (with copper based fittings with raised figures and textures embellished with gold and a multitude of tiny "circular granulations" formed by the meticulous handwork of a small hammer/punch) that typified the Goto family during the Edo period, as well as 'katakiri-bori' in which a chisel is used to simulate the brush strokes of a calligrapher's pen. The level of craftsmanship is simply amazing and one marvels that each piece was carefully handcrafted by artists living 200-300 years ago.

I could mention a few particularly noteworthy pieces, but the point of this book is of course to see them. The photography is simply outstanding and no words could do justice to the 150 featured works of art. If you have any interest in nihonto and sword fittings, this is definitely a must have. The only funny thing is that the book's foreward claims that this is part of a larger project to include subsequent books and an online gallery, but already this volume seems to be no longer available on Amazon where it used to sell for $32 and at this moment it's also out of stock at the Boston MFA store. You might want to try to find a copy in case it has gone out of print and already some people are trying to sell it for hundreds of dollars. Yikes! It would be a shame to see what is practically the only English language books on samurai sword fittings go out of publication.