For students of Japanese history, culture and art, the study of these ancient manuscripts expands the appreciation of the sword in traditional Japanese society. For the student of the samurai, these manuscripts give a window into the icons that they treasured and helped shape their values. In this work Dr. Buck presents 81 digitally restored early to mid-nineteenth century manuscripts that cataloged both drawings and measurements of historically significant Japanese swords from the Ancient Period (before 794) to mid-Edo Period (until the 1780s). Beginning with an overview of of the evolution of Japanese samurai swords, this work also contains translations, descriptions and information about the then current locations of the listed swords and their previous owners. The book ends with a comprehensive glossary of sword terms and definitions.