An unavoidable difficulty with books that deal with Japanese swords in general is that the workmanship of a smith has to be reduced to its most important characteristics which can be seen on the majority of his works. It is here that this work comes into play, with the motive to provide more concretely described reference examples. Unique is that - depending on the blade - former participant's kantei bids are also addressed. This means that one's own approach and attempt at attributing a blade may also be comprehended. With the 189 introduced kotô blades from altogether 19 provinces (including the five gokaden) this volume constitutes an extensive reference work. The order starts in the classical way, namely with the gokaden Yamato, Yamashiro, Bizen, Sôshû and Mino.

Eine nicht zu vermeidende Problematik bei allgemeineren Büchern über japanische Schwerter ist ja, dass die Arbeitsweise eines Schmiedes auf die wichtigsten, sich auf seinen meisten Klingen wiederzufindeden Merkmale reduziert werden muss. Hier setzt nun dieses Werk an, dessen Hintergedanke es war, mehr konkret beschriebene Referenzbeispiele bereitzustellen, die noch dazu im Sinne eines kantei, also einer Schwertbegutachtung, abgehandelt werden. Einzigartig ist hier, dass - je nach Klinge mehr oder weniger umfangreich - auch auf frühere Gebote von kantei-Teilnehmer eingangen wird, sprich eigene Ansätze bei der Zuordnung einer Klinge können so ebenfalls nachvollzogen werden. Mit 189 vorgestellten koto-Klingen aus insgesamt 19 Provinzen (inklusive der fünf gokaden) bietet dieser Band ein umfangreiches Referenzwerk.

Towards the end of 2012, I published the two-volume project Koto-kantei and Shinto & Shinshinto-kantei, depicting 358 blades from all schools and styles. Recently, I was able to continue with the first Kantei Supplement 1 introducing another 61 blades. In between I received feedback which suggested that a kind of ,,reverse version" would be practical. This means a guidebook where specific examples of hamon and bōshi are depicted instead of more or less detailed schematic representations. The result is this small publication which shows about 400 hamon and 230 boshi interpretations.I hope this humble guide will be helpful for identifying specific works, or at least guide you on the right track enabling you to look for further information and confirmation. It also might come in useful for oshigata-based kantei riddles where only the hamon and the boshi are provided.

This is the second supplement to the first two kantei volumes. It contains 175 koto, shinto and shinshinto blades in the classical order, namely koto-gokaden, koto other provinces, shinto-centres Kyoto, Osaka and Edo, shinto other provinces and shinshinto. The numbering continues with the last blade of the first supplementary volume, i.e. with number 419.

This is the first supplement to the first two kantei volumes. It contains 61 koto, shinto and shinshinto blades in the classical order, namely kotō-gokaden, koto other provinces, shinto-centres Kyoto, Osaka and Edo, shinto other provinces and shinshinto. The numbering continues with the last blade of the Shinto & Shinshinto volume, i.e. with number 359.

KOTO is an inspiring collection of recipes from throughout Vietnam. Arranged by region, the narrative weaves personal stories and history with a culinary appreciation of the markets, traditions and food of daily life in Vietnam. KOTO features more than 80 delicious and authentic recipes, ranging from Coconut Prawns to Chicken and Lotus Seed Broth. The recipes are beautifully photographed, as are the people, foods and regions of Vietnam. A gorgeous and practical book for the keen home cook and armchair traveller alike.