Title: L'Art Guerrier du Japon: Samouraï Author: Bernard Le Dauphin, L.J. Anderson Publisher: ACTE EPAD, 1987 ISBN: 2-9501257-0-0 EPAD Language: French Illustrations: Color pictures and black and white pictures Other: 117 pages, 30 cm by 21 cm, softcover Topics:Abumi, Bagu, Bugu, Kabuto, Katchū, Kura, Sōmen, Tōsōgu ID: B0170
Very nice catalog from an exhibition in 1987 with some amazing pieces in (then) European collections. Contains mainly pieces from the at that time big and famous collections of L.J. Anderson and Bernard Le Dauphin. The color pictures are gorgeous.
Title: Armes Japonaises dans les collections privées Françaises Author: Robert Burawoy Publisher: Galerie Robert Burawoy, 1977 Language: French Illustrations: Color pictures and black and white pictures Other: 80 pages, 30.5 cm by 21.5 cm, hardcover Topics:Bugu, Kabuto, Katchū, Menpō, Nihontō, Sōmen, Tōsōgu ID: B0169
This is a pioneering (exhibition) book from Robert Burawoy that shows the quality of the French collections already in the late 70’s. Some of these pieces are still in France, some have moved to other countries. A classic book. The hardcover is limited to 300, numbered and signed. There is also a softcover version.
This magazine issue contains an interesting article on the fabulous Japanese Armour collection (and how it came to be) of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Very nice catalog written by Ian Bottomley at the occasion of the exhibition “Shogun: The Life of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu”, held at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, in collaboration with Nikko Toshogu Shrine in 2005. Lavishly illustrated with Tokugawa related armours, documents, fold out screen reproductions, and many other items.
Title: 600 Japanese Sword Fittings Terms Author: Panchita S. Hawley, W. M. Hawley Publisher: Panchita S. Hawley, 1998 ISBN: 0-910714-39-2 Language: English Illustrations: Line Drawings Other: 133 pages, 28 cm by 22 cm, softcover Topics:Nihontō, Tōsōgu ID: B0154
W. M. Hawley was one of these pioneers who opened up a lot of info to the West. He is famous for his “Japanese Swordsmiths”, but he also made many other (and smaller) books. This is one of them. 600 Japanese Sword Fittings Terms is one of several volumes that contain specific terms for a certain subset of Japanese arms, illustrated by mainly line drawings. The only regret is that the kanji are still all hand written. Otherwise fantastic resource.
Nice book that was published during the process of creating the exhibition “Samurai – A Thousand Years of Cults in Culture” in Malmö in 2004. Although the book is more focussed on the Samurai culture as a whole, it is interesting from an armour perspective as some armours from the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Kunstkamera (St. Petersburg) are in here.
Very nice book that was published at the occasion of an exhibition in 2012 in the Frazier History Museum. Several very nice kabuto and armours (and many other samurai related items). Nice photography.
Another number of the Bulletin Association Franco-Japonaise. This one contains mainly several interesting non-armour related articles. Only one beautiful kabuto by Yoshimichi Katsuyoshi (student of the famous Yoshimichi) is decribed by Robert Burawoy. In my copy, a small booklet (in English) was included with an Armour Glossary, also from Mr. Burawoy and an English translation of the magazine.
Bushido, the magazine that Robert Benson and Elton K. Ericson started to publish in 1979, lasted only 9 numbers but what an achievement it was. Each magazine contains interesting articles on armour, nihonto, tōsōgu and budō. I have only but admiration for what they accomplished in an age where it was quite hard (and expensive) to publish a partially color magazine.