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Joe Earle

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Lethal Elegance The Art of Samurai Sword Fittings

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As the soul of the samurai, the sword is famously both the symbol and instrumentof Japanese military prowess. Less known, at least in the West, is its role as afashion accessory or status symbol. And more than the weapon itself, it was thesword's metal fittings that reflected the complexities of samurai life, from codes ofhonor to flamboyant leisure - and that remain among the most sophisticated andaccomplished metalwork ever created. Lethal Elegance presents 150 of theseremarkable sword fittings, and is one of the few books in a western language tofocus on their styles and techniques. It discusses the visual effects achieved withdifferent alloys, the evolution of fittings following changes in warfare, thesymbolism of motifs, and standards for connoisseurship. Nearly all these fittingswere once owned by trained swordsmen, and the weapons they ornamented couldsurely inflict fatal wounds. But their extraordinary variety and beauty also revealthem as wonders of self-expression and personal style.

About the Author

Joe Earle is Vice-President of Japan Society, New York, and Director of JapanSociety Gallery. He was formerly Chair of the Department of Art of Asia, Oceania,and Africa at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he initiated several galleryand documentation projects, including the digitization and release to the web ofthe Museum's world-famous collection of Japanese woodblock prints. He haspresented many exhibitions in Great Britain and the United STates, among them"Visions of Japan" (1991) and "Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell inContemporary Japanese Art" (2011). He has also written, edited, and translatedmany books on Japanese art and culture, including Netsuke: Fantasy and Reality inJapanese Miniature Sculpture; The Japanese Sword; Japanese Art and Design; FlowerBronzes of Japan; The Index of Inro Artists; New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters;and Buriki: Japanese Tin Toys from the Golden Age of the American Automobile.

More than 160 highlights from the MFA’s staggering collection of Japanese art are illustrated anddiscussed, divided into the themes of art of the...

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