Recommended Booklist.

 

This is our recommended list of the books that have been proven by time and experience to be essential to understanding our subject. The To-Ken does not sell, or have any financial interest in, any of these items. Specialist book dealers are to be found on the web and we recommend that you directly contact whoever has the book you are interested in without needing to make any further comment: it is up to you to buy from whomever you wish. Because we endorse these books as being of value to the sword student does not mean that we deprecate all others: if you discover a book available on the open market that you find invaluable, feel free to let us know of it and we shall do our best to review it for inclusion in the list.

The list is not to be considered complete because we are lucky now to be living in an age when new books are being produced at an ever-increasing rate, and for that we are suitably grateful.

 

Books for Translation:

Japanese Names and How to Read Them, written by Alfred Koop and Hogitaro Inada. 

Japanese Art Signatures, by Nobuke Hirose & James Self. 

These are the two main books used for translating Japanese inscriptions. Others, including dictionaries, do exist but are more specialised and difficult to find. The beginning student will not find them useful until they have become fully familiar with these two.

 

Books on blades:

The Samurai Sword: A Handbook. By John M Yumoto. This is the perfect beginners book and is highly recommended as a first purchase. The Japanese terms used are explained and a good foundation in all aspects of Japanese swords can be gained from a thorough reading (and frequent re-reading) of this book.

Hawley's Swordsmiths of Japan. (Two vols.)
This is a mainstay of the sword collecting world, listing about 30,000 swordsmiths with useful glossaries and listings related to locations, village and Province names and other related subjects.

The Nihon Toko Jiten, (Two vols.)  Better known to us as the Fujishiro is two volumes of photographed examples of signatures on tangs. There is a small English translation booklet listing only swordsmith names and locations. A full translation in two volumes (without illustrations) is available from Harry Afu Watson in the USA.

The Nihon To Koza, originally published in 1935 and now being translated with original (digitally enhanced) illustrations in single volumes by, again, Harry Afu Watson. There are six volumes in all: dealing with Koto blades (3 volumes), Shinto blades (1 vol.), Shin-Shinto blades (1 vol.), and Kodogu (sword fittings) 1 volume.

Swords of the Samurai by Victor Harris and Nobuo Ogasawara. In this book are some of the greatest swords Japan has ever produced, they are the living history of Japan and they came to the British Museum in about 1990, leaving Japan for the very first time

The Connoisseurs book of the Japanese Sword by Nagayama Kokan translated by Kenji Mishina. This very academic work is not suited to complete beginners without the benefit of a foundation in simpler works. It uses Japanese terms for the components and attributes of the blade which the beginner will not readily understand. It covers the whole subject of the blade from the aspects of history related to style to the usual rundown of styles applied to location and even individual smith.

The Japanese Sword by Sato Kanzan, This book is often described as being ‘for the advanced Collector’ but that is misleading. It is a standard text with excellent illustrations and will make the learning process enjoyable.

The Craft of the Japanese Sword by Yoshindo & Kapp.  A complete rundown of the processes involved in sword manufacture as well as the thoughts of one of the greatest living Swordsmiths. 

 

Other more advanced or specialised books on Blades:

Tanto, by Suzuki. Concentrating entirely on tanto of all periods it is pictorially excellent and there is the possibility of getting a full English text translation from JSSUS.

Mino-To by Malcolm Cox. This is an excellent book on the swords of Mino, and covers all periods with the exception of the 20th century.

The School of Tadayoshi Saga, Hizen, Japan, 1598-1871, by Roger J.Robertshaw.
This is a book for the specialist but beginners will still find it very readable and enjoyable.

Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945 by John Scott Slough.
A selection of oshigata (inscriptions and signatures on sword tangs) that fit this timeframe, with special note of those whose work is considered praiseworthy, and biographical details where known.

 

Books on sword fittings:

Pictorial works are the best place to start establishing a familiarity with styles and types of fittings. The following are available:
The Red Cross Catalogue,by Henri Joly. This is a large catalogue of a loan exhibition in London in 1916. Several hundred sword fittings are depicted in black and white illustrations. The reprint, done in the 1970’s, is still available.

Catalogue of the Hartman Collection, (Christies.) Useful for identifying 19th century artists from examples in it – as well as being useful in comparing workstyles. 

Early Japanese Sword Guards, Sukashi Tsuba, by Sasano Masayuki.
Sukashi (pierced iron) tsuba, written by the greatest authority on that subject.

Sukashi Tsuba by Eckhard Kremers.  Mr Kremers was privileged to have been a pupil of Sasano so the content, layout and approach is very similar.

The Soul of the Samurai-Tsuba from the Collection of Vancouver Museum.  This is partly authored by Robert Haynes. There is a very wide variety of tsuba contained here in good illustrations with a predominance of later pieces. Japanese Sword Fittings and Metalwork in the Lundgren Collection, with comments and captions by Nobuo Ogasawara & Terumasa Kobayashi.
A catalogue of a private collection with excellent illustrations and an authoritative text.

The Goto Ke Ju Shichi Dai, (the Seventeen Goto Masters). Very good photographs of a multitude of fittings made by members of the Goto family over several centuries. It is entirely in Japanese and so difficult to use without masses of translations.

Other books on fittings:

Shosankenshu. Written by Henri Joly in 1919 this is a list of several hundred signatures with associated Kao, or Kakihan, printed in a special technique much like old fashioned blueprints. Useful for comparing signatures ‘as written’.

Die Meister der Japanischen Schwertzieraten by Shinkichi Hara. The original was printed in 1932 and text is in German. A reprint was published in the 80’s by Robert Burowoy and the Societe Franco Japonaise – in French- called the Petit Hara. Although not provided with any actual illustrations of signatures the Petit Hara is packed with info such as alternative names used, schools belonged to, son/brother/father of whoever, known work locations etc.

ShinSan Kinko Meikan is a book of photographic examples of 3500 signatures of fittings makers of, mostly, the 19th century. It is for the advanced collector who deals with signatures on a regular basis.

 

Books on Armour:

Arms & Armour of the Samurai by Ian Bottomley & A.P. Hopson.
This book addresses armour in easily understood, but comprehensive, terms that will be readily absorbed by experienced collectors and novices alike.
All styles and ages of armour are described and photographed in excellent detail, with an extensive glossary that is more extensive than most European armour publications, this becomes a standard reference work for the armour enthusiast.

Japanese Armour Makers for the Samurai by Kei Kaneda Chappelear.
Covering mostly helmets, the illustrations are not luxurious and there are no colour images apart from the front cover, but this is not by any means a ‘coffee-table’ book. It is a serious study offering good solid information to serious students of armour who have something of their own to research.

 

General Stuff:

If you need to know more about something you have with a Mon on it then you need
Mon the Japanese Family Crest. by Willis Hawley.
Illustrations of several hundred Mon with names of Families, Generals or Lords who used them and the times they were used

Legend in Japanese Art, by Henri Joly. For advanced collectors. Explanations of the symbolic meanings of objects, people and events depicted on sword fittings, scrolls, paintings etc. (Related to the next book).

People Places and Things in Henri Joly’s Legend in Japanese Art. An Analytical Index by John Barr Tomkins and Dorothy Campbell Tomkins.  For advanced collectors. An extensive index of the contents of the original volume in alphabetical order makes finding the subject you are looking for much easier. If you have the original (above)you should remain on the look out for this very useful supplement.

Pointers and Clues to the subjects of Chinese and Japanese Art, by Will H.Edmunds. 
For advanced collectors. Similar to Joly’s book but from a different perspective, covering Chinese, Japanese and Buddhist subjects.

LSS.