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REFERENCE BOOKS

There is no better investment than a good reference book!

Those marked with a are excellent books for those beginning the study of Nihonto. Check with your book store or library and "Books in Print" for details of publisher, price, etc. Check also the many online book dealers which sell both in-print and out-of-print books on Japanese swords. Some of the books listed below are now out-of-print and can only be found through specialty book stores/dealers handling out-of-print material. All of the following works are in English, have translations available or English captions. Most of the best reference material is only available in Japanese.

• The Samurai Sword by John Yumoto (classic starter book)
  This is the book that started most of us on our journey studying Japanese swords.
• The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Nakayama Kokan. Translated by Kenji Mishina.
  Originally in Japanese as "To-Ken Kantei Dokuhon".
  (A MUST HAVE book for any serious student of the Japanese sword.)
• The Japanese Sword by Sato (My choice for starter book)
  Introduction to the study of Japanese swords from a Japanese viewpoint.
• The Craft of the Japanese Sword by Kapp & Yoshihara
  Excellent work on the technical aspects of making Japanese swords.
• Nihon Toko Jiten (two volumes) by Matsuo Fujishiro
  Translation available by Harry Afu Watson
  Signature examples of hundreds of swordmakers, history, period, school and ratings
• Nihon-To Koza (several volumes) by Souemon and Kiyoshige
  Translated by Harry Afu Watson
  (Harry Watson has translated many of the most important works on Japanese swords and sword mounts for the more advanced student/collector. See his website (Afu Research) listed in the book dealers section of the swords links page.)
• The Arts of the Japanese Sword by Robinson
  Good reference on schools of sword makers and tsuba/kodogu artists.
• The Japanese Sword : The Soul of the Samurai by Gregory Irvine
  Another good introductory book showing swords not in other publications.
• Yasukuni-to Tradition and Ideal Beauty by Tom Kishida
  translation by Kenji Mishina; JSSUS publication
  The full story and history of the Yasukuni Shrine and its sword smiths.
• The School of Hizen Tadayoshi by Roger Robertshaw
  Definitive English language work on Hizen Tadayoshi swordsmiths.
• Mino-To by Malcolm Cox
  Definitive English language work on swordsmiths of Mino province.
• Masamune: A Genius Swordsmith and his Lineage - Sano Art Museum
  (text in Japanese with English photo caption index)
• The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing - by Yoshihara, Kapp, Takaiwa
  Excellent details of polishing Nihonto. NOT A DYI BOOK!
• An Early Style of a Japanese Sword - Sano Art Museum
  (text in Japanese with English photo caption index)
• The New Generation of Japanese Swordsmiths by Tamio Tsuchiko,
  Kenji Mishina (Translator) - mostly on Shinsakuto
• 100 Masterpieces from the Compton Collection pub.by Christie's
  Outstanding photos of some great swords and fittings. The classic "drool" book :-)
• Japanese Swords and Sword Fittings from the Collection of
  Dr. Walter A. Compton Christie's Catalog (3 volumes) 1992
  Possibly the best collection ever auctioned -excellent reference material
• Japanese Swordsmiths, Revised by Hawley
  Listing of names (with Kanji), location and dates of thousands of swordsmiths.
• Cutting Edge: Japanese Swords In The British Museum by Victor Harris
• Swords and Sword Smiths of Bizen Province by Frederick Fimio
  Major English language resource on Bizen swords.
• Sword and Same' by Joly
• The Samurai Sword: An American Perspective by Gary Murtha
• Japanese Swords and Fittings in the Western Australian Museum by G. Trotter
• Nihonto Newsletter V1,2,3 by Yamanaka
• Swords and Fittings in the Chicago Natural History Museum
• Art and the Sword, (several volumes) JSS/US,1988 thru 2001
  pub. by Japanese Sword Society of the US.
• JSS/US Bulletins 1979,80,81
  This was the predecessor to "Art and the Sword"
• Nothern California Japanese Sword Club Lectures 1976
• The Japanese Sword and Its Fittings
  by Japanese Sword Society of NY and Cooper Union Museum
• The Gassan Tradition pub. by Boston Museum of Fine Arts
• A Study of Bizen Nihonto by Kowalski
• Shinto Benji Oshigata by Hawley
• Japanese Swords by Ogasawara
• Japanese Sword Blades by Robinson
• Japanese Sword Blades by Dubree
• Meibutsu; Token Taikan 79
• Shinto Shu translation and index

WWII ERA MILITARY SWORD REFERENCES

• Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks by Fuller & Gregory
  A MUST have book for those interested in Japanese military swords of the Showa Era.
• Swordsmiths of Japan, 1926-1945 by Fuller & Gregory
• An Oshigata Book of Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945 by John Slough
• Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths: From 1868 to the Present Leon Kapp, et al;
• Swords and Swordsmiths of the Gendaito Period 1868 to 1989 by Fred Fimio
• The Oshigata Book by Fuller & Gregory
• Showa Swordsmiths by Fuller & Gregory
• Military Swords of Japan by Fuller & Gregory
• Swords of Imperial Japan by Dawson

TSUBA & FITTINGS REFERENCES

• Nihon-to Koza: Vol VI; Kodogu I & II translated by Harry Watson
  The basic book for serious students of kodogu (tsuba and other sword mounts)
• Tsuba: An Aesthetic Study by Torigoye and Haynes
  Excellent work on history of major schools of tsuba makers.
• The Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists by Robert E. Haynes
  Listing of names (with Kanji), seals, dates, location, schools of thousands of artists.
• Kinko Meikan by Masumoto and Kokubo
  Translated by John Yumoto and Alan Harvie
  Signature examples of hundreds of fittings artists, period, school and ratings
• Early Japanese Sword Guards by Sasano
  Covers various schools of sukashi tsuba.
• Masterpieces from the Sasano Collection by Sasano Masayuki
  More on schools of sukashi tsuba.
• Toso Soran by Torigoye
  (text in Japanese with English captions)
• Tsuba Kanshoki by Torigoye
  (text in Japanese with English captions)
• The Namban Group of Japanese Sword Guards: A Reappraisal by Dr John Lissenden
  
• Lethal Elegance: Samurai Sword Fittings by Joe Earle
  
• Sukashi Tsuba in European Collections by Eckhard Kremer
  (text in English and German)
• Soul of the Samurai Vancouver Museum Exhibition catalog
  (tsuba exhibition catalog, text in English and French)
• The Art of the Warrior: Sukashi Tsuba from Prehistoric to Edo times
  Sano Art Museum
  (text in Japanese with English photo caption index)
• Swords of the Samurai; The Splendours of Japanese Sword Furniture by Lumir Jisl
• 100 Selected Tsuba by Haynes, Burawoy
• The Samurai Sword: An American Perspective V2 by Murtha
  Volume 2 is exclusively on tsuba and kodogu
• Shosankenshu by Joly
  Listing of 2950 signatures and kao of tsuba artists.
• Important Tsuba and Kodogu Robert Haynes Auction Catalogs 1 - 10
• Tsuba: Elementy broni samurajskiej by Henryk Socha (in Polish)
• The Hartman Collection of Japanese Metalwork Christie's Auction Catalog 1976
• The Russell C. Veit Collection of Japanese Sword Guards Christie's Catalog 1984
• The Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection of Japanese Sword Fittings Christie's Catalog 1998
• The Soame Jenyns Collection of Tsuba Christie's Catalog 1992
• The Roy Cole Collection of Japanese Sword Fittings Sotheby's Catalog 1990
• Japanese Swords and Tsuba from the Freeman and Sharpe Collections Sotheby's Catalog 1997
• The Carlo Monzino Collection of Japanese Sword Fittings and Swords Sotheby's Catalog 1996
• Peabody Museum Collection of Japanese Sword Guards by Hamilton
• Japanese Sword-Mounts in Collections of the Field Museum by Helen C. Gunsaulus
• Tsuba in Southern California by Hawley
  (Picture book only, NO text. Tsuba are NOT identified)
• The Tsuba by Gary Murtha
• Behren's Collection of Japanese Sword Fittings, V1,2
• Japanese Art and Handicraft (Tsuba and Fittings) - Joly
• Naunton Collection of Japanese Sword Fittings - Joly

OTHER REFERENCES

• Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior by Clive Sinclaire
• Mon, the Japanese Family Crest by Chappelear and Hawley
• Historical and Geographic Dictionary of Japan by E. Papinot
• A Book of Five Swords and a Scroll by Stanford D. Carman
• Japanese Military Sake' Cups by Richard Fuller
• Japanese Design Motifs: 4260 Illustrations of Heraldic Crests
  (Dover Pictorial Archive Series) by Matsuya
• Japanese Names and How to Read Them by O'Neill
• The Shaping of Daimyo Culture pub. by National Gallery of Art (Smithsonian)
• Splendors of Imperial Japan (The Khalili Collection) by Joe Earle
• The Great Japan Exhibition Alpine Fine Arts Collection, Ltd.
• The Japan of the Shoguns pub. by Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
• The Shogun Age Exhibition pub. by The Tokugawa Art Museum, Japan
• The Lords of Japan by Henry Wiencek
• Arms and Armor of the Samurai by Bottomley & Hopson
• Bushido, The Way of the Warrior by John Newman
• The Book of the Samurai by Turnbull
• The Way of the Samurai by Storry