Title: Katchū bugu jūyō bunka shiryō zuryoku (vol. 1)Author: Nihon Katchū Bugu Kenkyū Hozon Kai
Publisher: Nihon Katchū Bugu Kenkyū Hozon Kai, 1991
ISBN: 4-88583-010-9 C3672
Language: Japanese
Illustrations: Numerous black and white pictures, 3 color pictures
Other: 277 pages, 30 cm by 21.5 cm, hardcover
Topics: Abumi, Bagu, Bugu, Kabuto, Katchū, Kura, Menpō, Nihontō, Sōmen
ID: B0001
The first of the official Japanese Armour Society (Nihon Katchū Bugu Kenkyū Hozon Kai – NKBKHK) books with pictures and descriptions of the first 130 jūyō graded armours and samurai related items (#1-#130). The black and white pictures in the first volumes of this series are not always of a good quality. A large amount of the items however are Muromachi period or earlier and are tucked away in private collections, so this book is for many of these probably the only way to get some documentation.
In total 5 books exist (as of 2014) in this series. All of them were quite expensive when published as they were printed in very small quantities. Every item has a picture (on the left side of the book) and an objective description of the item on the right site, with also the time period for which the item got the jūyō (top) grade. Grades are given in a yearly Shinsa session, with a jury of senior society members.