All Illustrated Book of Japanese Armor

Don't be afraid of the hefty price on this book; it's more than worth every single yen! This is an extremely thorough and academic look at Japanese armour, researched in great depth by the author, Sasama Yoshihiko. He presents armour not just in its practical aspects on the battlefield, but as a representation of the evolution of Japanese culture. 36 pages of colour illustrations indicate specific armours throughout history, types of lacing, et cetera. A timeline shows the progression of armour styles as Japan's technology expanded. The remainder of the book looks into the armour itself, variants on parts of it (such as masks), how it was worn, how measurements were taken to make it, et cetera. All this is accompanied by black and white illustrations. The majority of the book is of course in Japanese, but an English introduction and English captions throughout will make it enjoyable for any armour fan! 476 pages, hard cover (with a cloth cover). The book itself comes inside a custom protective case, which is then further protected in a solid cardboard box.