Paul Martin, a world-renowned scholar of Japanese swords, takes us on a journey of discovery of samurai culture through an examination of valuable weapons and armor belonging to thirty of Japan's most celebrated warriors, many of which are classified as Important Cultural Propertiesor National Treasures and therefore rarely seen by the public.

Japanese Swords and Armor covers the entire development of the samurai class, from the 10th to the 19th centuries, and offers a compelling journey into the minds and aesthetic sensibilities of the legendary warriors through a wealth of iconography with art images, exclusive photographs and life-size reproductions of some of the most prestigious swords in history.

Get a close-up look at scores of magnificent blades, fittings and armor which belonged to thirty of the most famous warriors and leaders in Japanese history including:

• A wooden sword commissioned and owned by Miyamoto Musashi -- Japan's greatest swordsman; an exact replica of the sword he wielded at the legendary duel on Ganryu-jima Island
• The tachi blade worn by Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the powerful unifier of Japan--which was later presented to the Meiji Emperor
• The katchu (armor) belonging to Minamoto no Yoshitsune, hero of the Genpei Wars and later gifted as a votive offering to the Kasuga Shrine in Nara
• The naginata (halberd) said to be the favored weapon of Tomoe Gozen, Japan's famous female Samurai, that was immortalized in the classic book Tale of the Heike
• And many more!