Abstract

This book contains 40 stories about 33 swords, including stories of demon slaying, fantastic anecdotes, eerie tales, and heartwarming tales. In particular, the stories of demon slaying, such as evil gods, demons, ghosts, mountain hags, giant snakes, centipedes, thunder gods, and earth spiders, delve into the historical background and get to the heart of the story. Each sword legend is divided into two parts, the story and the explanation, to make it easier to read. Historical figures, events, and technical terms are given furigana, and difficult sword terms are explained in detail in footnotes. The 33 selected swords are all famous swords that shine brilliantly in the history of swords. A lot of space is devoted to the explanation of the swords, making it easy to read even for history fans who don't know much about swords.

Author’s Information

Igarashi Hideto: Born in Niigata City in 1957. Graduated from Waseda University's School of Education. After working as a bookstore clerk and a journalist for an industry newspaper, he is now working as a history writer. He specializes in castles, swords, and legends. His hobby is castle walking. He has visited over 100 castle ruins.
Machida Tetsu: Born in Maebashi City in 1955. Graduated from Nihon University College of Art. Editor and editorial designer. He has edited academic books and weekly magazines, mainly on history, as well as hobby books on travel, fishing, cats, trains, and more, and has also edited many books on Japanese swords.