Title: Zaigai nihon no shihō (10) kōgei Author: Tetsurō Kitamura Publisher: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1981 ISBN: 0370-611150-7904 Language: Japanese and some English Illustrations: Many color and black and white pictures Other: 141 pages, 35.5 cm by 26.5 cm, hardcover Topics:Ceramics, Kabuto, Katchū, Mirrors, Nihontō, Paintings, Tōsōgu ID: B0016
This beautiful book is part of a 10 volume set that focuses on Japanese art in Western collections. This part does not contain much armour, but has some of the best pictures available of the famous ō-yoroi in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Title: Katchū men mononofu no kasō Author: Kazuo Iida Publisher: Tōken shunjū shinbunsha, 1991 ISBN: 4-88583-011-7 Language: Japanese, some English Illustrations: Few color pictures, many black and white pictures Other: 320 + 9 pages, 30 cm by 21.5 cm, hardcover Topics:Menpō, Sōmen ID: B0014
This is as far as I know the only serious book on menpō . Several of the examples in the book have become famous and have ended up in big collections. En reprint in softcover was published a few years ago (see B0203). The pictures in this big hard cover edition are slightly better in my eyes.
Title: Nihon katchū dai zukan Author: Yoshihiko Sasama Publisher: Kashiwa Shobō, 2007 ISBN: 978-4-7601-3171-6 Language: Japanese Illustrations: Some color illustrations, many black and white illustrations Other: 474 pages, 30 cm by 21.5 cm, hardcover Topics:Kabuto, Katchū, Menpō, Sōmen ID: B0013
This is a reprint from the famous (and very expensive) encyclopedia. Almost no pictures but many illustrations from Sasama. Off course, many illustrations come back in other publications, but the big advantage here is, that the book is big, so much more detail can be seen in the illustrations. Still in print so easy to find.
Title: Nihon katchū meihinshū Author: Minoru Iida, Naoyoshi Saitō, Yoshihiko Sasama Publisher: Yūzankaku Shuppan, 1968 ISBN: None Language: Japanese Illustrations: Few color pictures and drawings, many black and white pictures Other: 279 pages, 26.5 cm by 19 cm, hardcover Topics:Kabuto, Katchū, Menpō ID: B0012
Sasama was well known for reusing his material in his many books. As this book focuses on several nice Japanese armour sets (also several Muromachi ones), it is however nice to have, especially with the pictures that appear in the second half of the book. As is regrettable the case with almost all books on Japanese armour, also here only one general picture is shown per set.
Title: Nihon katchū taikan Author: Yoshihiko Sasama Publisher: Gogatsu Shobō, 1987 ISBN: 4-7727-0048-X C3072 Language: Japanese Illustrations: Black and white pictures, drawings Other: 1374 pages, 22.5 cm by 16 cm, hardcover Topics:Kabuto, Katchū, Menpō ID: B0011
This very thick and dense encyclopedia covers a lot of ground on Japanese armour, but as it is mainly text, sparsely illustrated, it will be hard to follow for most. Can probably be best read in combination with one of Sasama’s other, more visual oriented books. The First 1050 pages is an encyclopedia, with the last 300 pages an earlier version of the katchūshi meikan.
Title: Nihon no meitō (3 volumes) Author: Yoshihiko Sasama Publisher: Yūzankaku, 1972 ISBN: None Language: Japanese Illustrations: Few color pictures, many black and white pictures Other: 335, 351, 355 pages, 26.5 cm by 19 cm, hardcover, limited to 1500 Topics:Kabuto, Menpō ID: B0010
In these three books (limited to 1500), Sasama focuses on Japanese helmets, and this time he relies on many pictures, in line with his Nihon katchū meihinshū. In some cases a few views of one helmet are even available. Some helmets are famous, but many you will find probably nowhere else. They are also know as the “blue books”. In many places you will find the alternative reading: Nihon no meikabuto.
Title: Nihon katchū zukan (3 volumes) Author: Yoshihiko Sasama Publisher: Yūzankaku, 1964 ISBN: None Language: Japanese Illustrations: Numerous illustrations, very few color illustrations Other: 256, 271, 261 pages, 26.5 cm by 19 cm, hardcover, limited to 800 Topics:Kabuto, Katchū, Menpō, Sōmen ID: B0005
These three volumes (limited to 800) contain an unbelievable amount of Sasama’s famous line drawings, many of which re-appear in his later works. They are also known as the “green books”.
The fifth of the official Japanese Armour Society (Nihon Katchū Bugu Kenkyū Hozon Kai – NKBKHK) books with pictures and descriptions of the next 107 jūyō graded armours and samurai related items (#526-#632). Overall, very nice and big color pictures. Again many items also from the Momoyama and Muromachi periods. Most items 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.
The fourth of the official Japanese Armour Society (Nihon Katchū Bugu Kenkyū Hozon Kai – NKBKHK) books with pictures and descriptions of the next 135 jūyō graded armours and samurai related items (#391-#525). Overall, very nice and big color pictures and a big improvement over the previous volumes. Again many items also from the Momoyama and Muromachi periods. Most items 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.
Title: Zaigai nihon no shihō (10) kōgei
Title: Kunzan tōshōgū densei no bunkazai
Title: Katchū men mononofu no kasō
Title: Nihon katchū dai zukan
Title: Nihon katchū meihinshū
Title: Nihon katchū taikan
Title: Nihon no meitō (3 volumes)
Title: Nihon katchū zukan (3 volumes)
Title: Katchū bugu jūyō bunka shiryō zuryoku (vol. 5)
Title: Katchū bugu jūyō bunka shiryō zuryoku (vol. 4)