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A quote from Justin on this book.

Anthony we will be expecting your review soon? If you happen to see another copy for sale it may be helpful to add a link. First you have to know that the book even exists, which the average person would not know, second you would have to know were to look and most people would not spend that amount of money on a book written in a language that they can not understand, reading people comments and seeing some of the contents my help other people decide to purchase this book.

Piers, I am writing what I write for my own knowledge and for people who may read what is on this new section of the forum in the future. I do not understand why people are taking some simple questions so personally. I can not put him on a pedestal as I know nothing about his knowledge and teachings on the subject of Japanese guns. People review books and authors qualifications all the time. Most of what I know about him is what you, Justin and Ron have written, Ron and Justin have called him a scholar or scholarly, you have made it clear that his writings are more in depth and reliable than his competitors so why not provide interested people which some useful information in order to help them form an opinion. Since you speak English, live in Japan, are a member of a Japanese gun troop you would have a much better idea of why he should be included in the small list of acknowledged experts, which does not mean that he is perfect. You would also have some idea of what he does not know and what he has not included in his books which may help someone in any future book writing attempt. Ron has extensive knowledge on this subject and would also know how his book differs from other books on the subject, Justin has this book as well and can add some personal insight to this book review as well. Since the idea of translating his book has been brought up along with the idea of writing a new book.......if that were to ever happen it would be nice to have some additional information which is deemed important but has not been included in his book/books added as an appendix in order to create a better book in the end. In order to fully understand what is currently not in his books and in the other books that will undoubtedly be discussed here it would be helpful for all interested parties to state what they would like to see in a "dream book" on Japanese matchlocks.

Brian, not all of them are about Japanese matchlocks, some are about WWII weapons, some are about cannon etc, but for us non Japanese speaking people, you can cut and paste the kanji into a search engine and come up with some interesting results in both text and images.

Piers has referred to the author of this book as "Sawada Sensei" (is it Sawada Taira or Taira Sawada?), Ron has called him "The only real Japanese authority ( scholar ) regarding the Tanegashima", which shows the high regard he is held in some Japanese gun related circles, but in the USA, he and his book are virtually unknown. With his book being hard to find and expensive as well as being written exclusively in Japanese I thought it might be a good idea for some of the forum members who own this book or who might have some knowledge of Mr Tiara to give us some insight about why he is considered to be an authority on the subject. Searching online does not bring up any information other than a few books he has written, it would be nice to know some personal details, what does the title of his book mean, how old is he, how did he gain his knowledge, is he a collector, researcher, any information would be helpful, any pictures of him or from his books, also some comments about his book or books would be nice so that interested forum members who do not speak Japanese will be able to gain some understanding of why his is so highly regarded. Books by Taira Sawada. 和時計 : 江戶のハイテク技術 / Wadokei : Edo no haiteku gijutsu (The Japanese Mechanical Clock: the Advanced Technology of the Edo Period) by 澤田平, 1935- Taira Sawada 桜町鉄炮 / Sakaizutsu by Taira Sawada; 日野鉄炮 / Hinozutsu. by Taira Sawada; 鉄砲からハイテクへ : 江戶時代の科学澤田コレクション / Teppō kara haiteku e : edo jidai no kagaku sawada korekushon. by Shigeta Yoshimura; Taira Sawada; Shibunkaku Bijutsukan.;

歴史のなかの鉄炮伝来 : 種子島から戊辰戦争まで / Rekishi no naka no teppō denrai : Tanegashima kara boshin sensō made. by Kokuritsu Rekishi Minzoku Hakubutsukan. 日本銃砲の歴史と技術 / Nihon jūhō no rekishi to gijutsu by Takehisa Udagawa; 歴史の中の火縄銃 : 特別展記念図錄 / Rekishi no naka no hinawajū : tokubetsuten kinen zuroku by Chiba Shiritsu Kyōdo Hakubutsukan.; 鉄砲と日本人 : 「鉄砲神話」が隠してきたこと / Teppō to Nihonjin : "teppō shinwa" ga kakushite kita koto by 鈴木眞哉, 1936- Masaya Suzuki 鉄炮伝来 : 兵器が語る近世の誕生 / Teppō denrai : heiki ga kataru kinsei no tanjō by 宇田川武久, 1943- author. Takehisa Udagawa 鉄砲 : 伝来とその影響 / Teppo. by Tomio Hora; 火縄銃の伝来と技術 / Hinawajū no denrai to gijutsu by Minoru Sasaki; 武器・十字架と戦国日本 : イエズス会宣教師と「対日武力征服計画」の真相 / Buki, Jūjika to sengoku Nihon : Iezusukai senkyōshi to "tainichi buryoku seifuku keikaku" no shinsō by 高橋裕史, 1960- author. Hirofumi Takahashi 鉄砲を手放さなかった百姓たち : 刀狩りから幕末まで / Teppō o tebanasanakatta hyakushōtachi : katanagari kara bakumatsu made by 武井弘一. Kōichi Takei 日欧交涉の起源 : 鉄砲伝来とザビエルの日本開教 / Nichi-Ō kōshō no kigen : teppō denrai to Zabieru no Nihon kaikyō by 清水紘一, 1942- Hirokazu Shimizu 国友源右衛門家文書 / Kunitomo gen'emon ke monjo. by Nagahamashi Kyōiku Iinkai.; 鉄砲伝来の日本史 : 火縄銃からライフル銃まで : 歴博フォーラム / Teppō denrai no nihonshi : Hinawajū kara raifurujū made : Rekihaku fōramu by Takehisa Udagawa; 幕末もう一つの鉄砲伝来 / Bakumatsu mo hitotsu no teppo denrai. by Takehisa Udagawa; 阿波の鉄砲 : 鉄砲からみた阿波史冬の企画展 / Awa no teppō : teppō kara mita awashi fuyu no kikakuten. by Hisao Nezu; 幕末軍事技術の軌跡 : 佐賀藩史料0︠C松乃落葉0︠D / Bakumatsu gunji gijutsu no kiseki by Isao Sugimoto; 真說 鉄砲伝来 / Shinsetsu teppō denrai by 宇田川武久, 1943- Takehisa Udagawa 火器の誕生とヨーロッパの戦争 / Kaki no tanjō to yōroppa no sensō by Bert S Hall; Yasuo Ichiba; 桜町鉄炮 / Sakaizutsu by Taira Sawada; 東アジアの兵器革命 : 十六世紀中国に渡った日本の鉄砲 / Higashi Ajia no heiki kakumei : jūrokuseiki Chūgoku ni watatta Nihon no teppō by 久芳崇, 1970- Takashi Kuba 佐賀藩銃砲沿革史 / Saga-han jūhō enkakushi by 秀島成忠. Naritada Hideshima 佐賀藩銃砲沿革概要 / Sagahan jūhō enkaku gaiyō. by Nabeshimake Hensanjo.; 火砲の發達 / Kahō no hattatsu by 荘司武夫. Takeo Shōji 所荘吉コレクションと西洋兵学 : 特別展 / Tokoro sōkichi korekushon to seiyō heigaku : Tokubetsuten. by Tōkyōto Itabashi Kuritsu Kyōdo Shiryōkan.; 図解古銃事典 / Zukai kojū jiten by 所荘吉, 1929- Sōkichi Tokoro; 種子島銃 : 伝来とその影響 / Tanegashima jū : denrai to sono eikyō by 洞富雄, 1906- Tomio Hora 日本火術考 / Nihon kajutsu kō by 西沢勇志智, b. 1882. Yūshichi Nishizawa 大砲入門： 陸軍兵器徹底研究。. Taihō nyūmon : rikugun heiki tettei kenkyū. by 佐山二郎 Jirō Sayama 金属が語る日本史 : 銭貨・日本刀・鉄炮 / Kinzoku ga kataru Nihon shi : senka, nihontō, teppō by 齋藤努. Tsutomu Saitō 鉄砲伝来の日本史 : 火縄銃からライフル銃まで : 歴博フォーラム / Teppō denrai no Nihon shi : hinawajū kara raifurujū made : Rekihaku Fōramu by Takehisa Udagawa; Kokuritsu Rekishi Minzoku Hakubutsukan. 品川台場史考 : 幕末から現代まで / Shinagawa daiba shikō : bakumatsu kara gendai made by 佐藤正夫, 1933- Masao Satō 鐵砲傳來記 / Teppō denraiki by 洞富雄, 1906- Tomio Hora アメリカよ、銃を捨てられるか : 自由と正義の国の悲劇と狂気 / Amerika yo jū o sute rareru ka : jiyū to seigi no kuni no higeki to kyōki. by Takeshi Yabe; 国友鉄砲の歴史 / Kunitomo teppō no rekishi by Gyōkō Yusuki; 日本の歴史. 中世から近世へ 2, 鉄砲伝来, : 日本技術のポテンシャル Nihon no rekishi. chiyūse(kinsei)(2), Teppō denrai, : nihon gijutsu no potensharu. 歴史に見る火器開発裏面史 / Rekishi ni miru kaki kaihatsu rimenshi by Mitsuo Tsunose; 鉄砲の歴史と讃岐の古式銃砲 / Teppō no rekishi to sanuki no koshiki jūhō by Tadao Iwabu; 幕末熊本の軍制と銃砲 / Bakumatsu kumamoto no gunsei to juho. by Minoru Hirata; 堺鉄砲 : その源流と背景をさぐる開館一〇周年記念春季特別展 / Sakai teppō : sono genryū to haikei o saguru kaikan jisshūnen kinen shunki tokubetsuten. by Sakaishi Hakubutsukan.; 国友鉄砲鍛冶 : その世界特別展 / Kunitomo teppō kaji. by Nagahamajō Rekishi Hakubutsukan(nagahama Shiritsu); 銃と戦闘の歴史図鑑 : 1914〓現在 / Jū to sentō no rekishi zukan : senkyūhyakujūyon genzai 讃岐の古式銃砲. 2 / Sanuki no koshiki jūhō. 2 by Tadao Iwabu; 鉄砲伝来と紀州 : ヨーロッパとの出会い / Teppō denrai to kishū. by Wakayama Shiritsu Hakubutsukan.; 全国鉄砲鍛冶銘地域別分類 / Zenkoku teppō kajimei chiikibetsu bunrui by Nobuo Ogasawara; Osamu Yasuda 世界銃砲史 / Sekai jūhōshi by Kenjin Iwadō; 反射炉 : 大砲をめぐる社会史. 1 / Hansharo : taihō o meguru shakaishi. 001. by Isao Kaneko; 反射炉 : 大砲をめぐる社会史. 2 / Hansharo : taihō o meguru shakaishi. 002. by Isao Kaneko; 全国鉄砲鍛冶銘鑑 / Zenkoku teppō kaji meikan by Nobuo Ogasawara; Osamu Yasuda; 日本の鉄砲鍛冶 : 主として鍛冶銘 / Nihon no teppō kaji : Shutoshite kajimei by Hideaki Urabe; 図說幕末・維新の銃砲大全 : 戊辰・西南戦争の兵器と軍装を徹底解明!. Zusetsu bakumatsu ishin no jūhō taizen : boshin seinan sensō no heiki to gunsō o tettei kaimei. 江戶時代の科学技術： 大艦・巨砲ヲ造ル開館1周年記念平成17年度佐賀城本丸歴史館企画展。 Edo jidai no kagaku gijutsu : taikan kyohō o tsukuru Kaikan isshūnen kinen heisei jūnananendo sagajō honmaru rekishikan kikakuten. 有坂銃 : 日露戦争の本当の勝因 / Arisakajū : Nichiro sensō no hontō no shōin by Nisohachi Hyōdō; 讃岐高松と鉄砲 / Sanuki takamatsu to teppō by Hideaki Urabe; 鉄砲五百年展 / Teppō gohyakunenten. by Shin'ichi Yoshioka; 図解古銃事典 / Zukai ko jū jiten. by Sōkichi Tokoro; 鉄砲六百年展. Teppō roppyakunenten. by Yomiuri Shinbunsha.; 日野鉄炮 / Hinozutsu. by Taira Sawada; 兵器考. 砲熕篇 一般部 / Heikikō. () by Shōzō Arisaka; 加賀藩と鉄炮 / Kagahan to teppō by Masao Yonemura; 鉄砲のカラクリ : 近世の技術革新沢田コレクションより第5回企画展 Teppō no karakuri. by Azuchijō Kōko Hakubutsukan(shiga Kenritsu); 日本陸軍の火砲步兵砲対戦車砲他 : 日本の陸戦兵器徹底研究 / Nihon rikugun no kahō hoheihō tai senshahō hoka : Nihon no rikusen heiki tettei kenkyū by Jirō Sayama; 鄉土の鉄砲鍛冶 : 伊勢・伊賀・志摩 / Kyōdo no teppō kaji by Seiichi Yagase; 蝦夷地鉄砲伝来と北辺防備の大砲 / Ezochi teppō denrai to hokuhen bōbi no taihō by Kingo Aida; 日本陸軍の火砲機関砲要塞砲 : 日本の陸戦兵器徹底研究. 続 / Nihon rikugun no kaho kikanho yosaiho : Nihon no rikusen heiki tettei kenkyu. Zoku. by Jiro Sayama; 鉄砲 : 歴史を変えた新兵器開館20周年特別展 / Teppō. by Sōnan Hakubutsukan(chiba Kenritsu); ねじと鉄砲の文化史 / Neji to teppō no bunkashi by Yūkichi Iwata; 上杉鉄炮物語 : 火縄は消えず / Uesugi teppō monogatari : hinawa wa kiezu by 近江雅和, 1923- Masakazu Ōmi 幕末佐賀藩製砲関係史料集. Bakumatsu sagahan seihō kankei shiryōshū. 大砲と海戦 : 前装式カノン砲からOTOメララ砲まで / Taihō to kaisen : zensōshiki kanonhō kara ottō merarahō made by 大内建二. Kenji Ōuchi 野砲山砲 : 日本陸軍の火砲 / Yahō sanpō : nihon rikugun no kahō by 佐山二郎. Jirō Sayama 機関砲 : 日本陸軍の火砲 / Kikanhō : nihon rikugun no kahō by 佐山二郎. Jirō Sayama 兵器考. 砲熕篇 海軍砲熕・小銃 / Heikikō. () by Shōzō Arisaka; 野戦重砲騎砲他 : 日本陸軍の火砲 / Yasen jūhō kihō hoka : nihon rikugun no kahō by 佐山二郎. Jirō Sayama 銃砲術の系譜 / Jūhōjutsu no keifu by Masayuki Shibuya; 銃を極める愉しみ： 完本。 Jū o kiwameru tanoshimi : kanpon. by 佐藤富雄 Tomio Satō 高射砲 : 日本陸軍の火砲日本の陸戦兵器徹底研究 / Kōshahō : nihon rikugun no kahō nihon no rikusen heiki tettei kenkyū by 佐山二郎. Jirō Sayama イッテイ： 13年式村田步兵銃の創製。. Ittei : jūsannenshiki murata hoheijū no sōsei. by 小松直之 Naoyuki Komatsu; Nisohachi Hyōdō 要塞砲 : 日本陸軍の火砲日本の陸戦兵器徹底研究 / Yōsaihō : nihon rikugun no kahō nihon no rikusen heiki tettei kenkyū by 佐山二郎. Jirō Sayama 関口大砲製造所. Sekiguchi taihō seizōsho. by 大松騏一. Kiichi Ōmatsu 東アジア兵器交流史の研究 : 十五-十七世紀における兵器の受容と伝播 / Higashiajia heiki kōryūshi no kenkyū : jūgo jūshichiseiki ni okeru heiki no juyō to denpa. by Takehisa Udagawa; 機関銃の社会史 / Kikanjū no shakaishi. by John Ellis; Michio Ochi; 鉄砲を捨てた日本人 : 日本史に学ぶ軍縮 / Teppō o suteta nihonjin : nihonshi ni manabu gunshuku by Noel Perrin; Heita Kawakatsu; 第2次大戦イタリア陸軍装備ファイル / Dai2ji taisen itaria rikugun sōbi fairu by Kai Shimada; Yoshiaki Inada; 戦国合戦を科学する : そのとき「戦場」で何が起きていたのか. Sengoku kassen o kagaku suru : sonotoki senjō de nani ga okite ita noka. 鉄砲からハイテクへ : 江戶時代の科学澤田コレクション / Teppō kara haiteku e : edo jidai no kagaku sawada korekushon. by Shigeta Yoshimura; Taira Sawada; Shibunkaku Bijutsukan.; 特別展日本の鉄砲 : 吉岡コレクションの全貌に迫る / Tokubetsuten nihon no teppō : yoshioka korekushon no zenbō ni semaru. by Ōsakajō Tenshukaku.; 古銃 / Ko jū. by Shin'ichi Yoshioka; 鉄砲展 : 種子島から現代まで. Teppōten : tanegashima kara gendai made. by Nihon Raifuru Shageki Kyōkai.; 英米日の小銃・自転車・自動車産業 / Ei bei nichi no shōjū jitensha jidōsha sangyō by 川地博行. Hiroyuki Kawachi 鉄炮伝来錄 / Teppō denrairoku. by Tenshū Nishimura; 迫撃砲噴進砲他 : 日本陸軍の火砲日本の陸戦兵器徹底研究 / Hakugekihō funshinhō hoka : nihon rikugun no kahō nihon no rikusen heiki tettei kenkyū by 佐山二郎. Jirō Sayama 步兵砲対戦車砲他 : 日本陸軍の火砲日本の陸戦兵器徹底研究 / Hoheihō taisenshahō hoka : nihon rikugun no kahō nihon no rikusen heiki tettei kenkyū by 佐山二郎. Jirō Sayama 火砲の起原とその伝流 / Kahō no kigen to sono denryū by 有馬成甫. Seiho Arima 半田山の午砲台： 岡山の時の社会史断章。 Handayama no gohōdai : okayama no toki no shakaishi danshō. by 日笠俊男 Toshio Hikasa 漢文・満洲文档案史料による明淸交替期東アジアにおける火器の伝播と普及に関する研究 / Kanbun manshūbun tōan shiryō ni yoru min shin kōtaiki higashiajia ni okeru kaki no denpa to fukyū ni kansuru kenkyū. by Takashi Kuba; Fuji Zerokkusu Kobayashi Setsutarō Kinen Kikin.; 日本を変えた!種子島の鉄砲とザビエルの十字架 : 大航海時代の日本人の才智 / Nihon o kaeta tanegashima no teppō to zabieru no jūjika : daikōkai jidai no nihonjin no saichi. by Yūmi Ishihara;

Jan, it had better be a top notch book or Mr Sugawa might end up criticizing it on his web site, now that would be funny wouldnt it?

Piers, notice how he even got the "amaooi kusabi" in there? Any idea who actually translated this book into English, whoever did it probably was responsible for at least some of the peculiarities in the spelling of words. I think we should do our own visual glossary with all of the proper terms, that is if we can agree on which terms are the most commonly used.

Piers, thanks, spelling taken care of. Getting to some of the more important information in the book we have this illustration showing the individual parts of a Japanese matchlock, for me having accurate descriptions of the parts is very important. This book was at one time the only resource in English that I know of which provided names for these parts, now of course we have forums were we can exchange information but that has occurred fairly recently. So how did Mr Sugawa do in this department, any comments? Larger image (for the vision impaired). http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/origi ... 4e9f28.jpg

Piers, that works, I have looked every were and do not see that particular part being named, how about amaooi kusabi?

Brian, this image shows the back edge a little better. By the way, does anyone have a name for the small bar that locks the amaooi in place?

Piers, I am not trying to break your balls here but you are considered to be somewhat of an expert on this subject by many people, whether or not you would accept that label and since this is the only book in English on the subject your views on it are held in high regard. You have said on several occasions that This term can be seen as being very derogatory, it is a slightly more polite way of saying that someone is a exaggerator or a liar and that their words should not be believed. Maybe you do not mean it in this context but I think since this is currently the only book on this subject in English it would be to every ones advantage to take the time to show in more detail what is and is not accurate information, not just you but anyone who has a comment about this book whether negative or positive. In the future we will then have a permanent book review that will allow anyone who happens to read this book to see for themselves what parts of this book they can safely believe. As for the term "Inatomi", that seems to be what some Japanese authorities use, here is a chart of gunnery school books from "Rekihaku", the bi-monthly magazine of the National Museum of Japanese History. "Inatomi School" is how they describe it. By the way, the National Museum of Japanese History has some excellent resources on the subject of Japanese gunnery in English, which is quite unusual. http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/english/publi ... tness.html

Piers on page 11 schools are specifically mentioned although "Ryu" is not used. Pages 37-41 are all about the "Inatomi school". Starting on page 37 titled "SHOOTING IN OLD DOCUMENTS" there are 7 sections about the Inatome school such as 4:INOTOME SCHOOL PURPOSE and 5:INOTOME SCHOOL INSTRUCTIONS". I know of no other book in English which contains this type of information, there are even illustrations from an Inatome manual. Page 11. Inatome school manual illustrations, page 39 and page 41.

I made a slight mistake, Sugawa's book appears to be at least 25 years old and Perrin's book is at least 35 years old.

Ron, there are more Japanese firearms related images in these links than any were else in the world. Japanese matchlocks and accessories http://www.pinterest.com/worldantiques/ ... rai-era-t/ Touch hole cannon http://www.pinterest.com/worldantiques/ ... le-cannon/ Western style firearms http://www.pinterest.com/worldantiques/ ... y-samurai/

Good find. Rons example. Sawada Tairas example.

Ron, publishing an e-book is very inexpensive, you can circumvent the traditional publishing concerns and still have your information and images in a readable form. Here is a link to Lulu as an example. If making a profit is not the primary concern but leaving a lasting legacy of your accumulated knowledge is important to you I would seriously suggest looking into some of the alternates to the old fashioned printing press. http://www.lulu.com/publish/ebooks/

Justin, and who is qualified to do a peer review of a book on Japanese matchlocks? It is not like you can take a class on them, or submit your thesis to professors who are knowledgeable on the subject. If this review was to take place in Japan we would hardly know about it, and who could do it in the English speaking world. Using your definition is Taira a scholar and is his book scholary? We can review Sugawa's book right here and see if it is actually a brilliant work that is ahead of its time or if it is a con job..maybe some were in between. First the cover, a great shot of a samurai firing a matchlock (Sugawa perhaps?). Next the introduction. I do not see anything objectionable here, does anyone else?

Ron, as always my intent is to obtain answers to questions, I would never intentionally attack you, Piers or anyone else I am discussing subjects like this with, but I may have come off that way in my attempt to get some seriously needed answers, and I apologize if I appeared to be doing that (it would not be the first time!). Only you, Piers, Ian and possibly a few other English speaking people in the world have any idea what you are talking about when it comes to Japanese matchlocks and openly share your accumulated knowledge, sometimes it is incredibly hard to get something as simple as a term clearly defined due to the lack of adequate resources, its very frustrating. I am not sure when this book was first published but I think it is at least 15 years old, and nothing has been written in English since then, Perrins book is around 28 years old, how can the information about any subject be improved and updated at this rate. If not for the information contained on forums like this, the subject of Japanese matchlocks would be stuck in time.

Ron, I do not appreciate being talk to and about in those terms, I would NEVER do that to you, I asked the same questions to both you and Piers because of your much greater experience on this subject, this is a book which due to the fact that it is the only one of its kind I have to recommend to people who have an interest in Japanese matchlocks. Both you and Piers have expressed reservations on the content of this book, Piers has said this on several occasions, I am simple trying to get some details of what you both think is wrong with this book and what if anything may be correct. My questions are not an attack, they are quite serious, sorry you feel that way but it should not be like pulling teeth to get an answer which may help people in the future decide whether to ignore certain parts of the book or maybe not to use this book at all, also if someone were interested in writing a book on this subject the kind of critique both you and Piers has to offer is important. Ron if I wrote for example that Ians book or Anthony Bryants book had inaccuracies and you asked me for some details due to the fact that you did not have enough knowledge of the subject I would be more than happy to accommodate you without sarcastic remarks...but anyway thanks for adding some details to your doubts. I do appreciate all of your posts on this subject, you have added quite a bit of detailed knowledge, it is unfortunate that the only book on this subject in English is a poorly translated (now we know that thanks to Piers answer) with technical inaccuracies (you have pointed out a few of these). This book along with Perrin's book which although not a technical book but a historical overview which has received similar criticism about being inaccurate in its content leaves people who speak only English with some apparently bleak choices. Either read these books and try to guess what is right and what is wrong or read nothing. If people who have a more advanced knowledge of the subject do not dissect these books and point out the good and the bad how would anyone else know the difference, until someone decides to become the next Sugawa or Perrin we are stuck with these books, hopefully someday a book will be written with the correct historical information and the correct technical information all in one book. Ron, I wrote to Sugawa and he answered my question right away, when I wrote to Anthony Bryant he did not, but I do not think that is a reflection on scholarship, if someone is indeed a scholar then they are a scholar, whether they are a rude scholar or not, just my personal opinion.

Piers, now this is the type of commentary that only you could do, since I and other non Japanese speakers can not compare the two books we can only go by what we read in the English version. Unfortunately this lack of sources is keeping people from expanding their knowledge of the subject. Leaving aside the translation problems and the difference between the Japanese and English versions what about the technical information, the names of the parts etc, are their differences between Sugawa and Taira.

Piers here is what I said, I was not asking for a list of "everything" that was inaccurate, just an example showing why people should be wary of Sugawa's book. No harm in trying, at least his is still alive, why would anyone advise you to keep your distance? You have much more patience for non logical people than I will ever have!!!

Ron, I have to disagree with you on a few points. In my personal opinion he is much more than a "collector", whether you think he is a scholar really depends on how you define that word. I would call him an authority on the subject of not only Japanese matchlocks but many other Japanese weapons. He is the author of several books as well as a member (director) and contributor of numerous essays in the "Japan firearms History Society" http://www.fhaj.jp/ , his website is is very informative, I know of no other Japanese national who as taken the time and effort to disseminate information to the West by not only writing a book in English but also hosting a web site with an English version. I think it is safe to say that inaccuracies occur in just about any book, in any subject no matter how well researched, the important question about Sugawa's book should be is it accurate for the most part and are the inaccuracies small or are they large enough and frequent enough to discredit his book. Since you have way more experience than I do on this subject can you point out any of the inaccuracies, I have read the book and use it for a reference but I have not seen anything that raised a red flag. As far as Sawada Taira being the "only authority" on the subject I would have no way to verify that information due to the fact that as far as I know he has not published ANYTHING in English, unlike Sugawa, so I would have no basis to judge his knowledge. Since I do no speak Japanese, Tiara's information may as well not exist to me, which is unfortunate. Piers holds Taira in very high regard and as the person who has done the most to send information accumulated in Japan our way I believe that Piers must be correct, hopefully we non Japanese speaking enthusiasts will be able to judge for ourselves some day. Shigeo Sugawa's web site, Japanese version. http://www.xn--u9j370humdba539qcybpym.jp/ Shigeo Sugawa's web site, English version. http://japaneseweapons.net/ Sawada Taira's web site and English version of his book "Nihon no Furu-Ju" (still waiting!!!).

Suzi, unfortunately there is not much happening in the way of information exchange between the West and Japan on many subjects, with the subject of samurai saddles and equipment being one of those subjects. From time to time some interesting information that originates in Japan gets discovered and if you do happen to find what you were looking for please post it here. If you are ever able to post images from your exhibit please do that as well, it is great that you will be allowing people a chance to see some items that they otherwise would not be exposed to and good luck with the exhibition! Some related links. Here is one such example of Japanese source information, it is a wonderful series of drawings that illustrate all of the necessary equipment that a mounted samurai would have needed. All of the individual saddle related components are shown as well as their attachment methods. It also shows the step by step process of wearing an armor including the clothing needed under the armor, I do not know of anything else like it. http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/origi ... d40156.jpg Related information. http://www.pinterest.com/nihonnokatchu/ ... equipment/ Wikipedia article on the Japanese saddle with has names for many of the related items. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kura_(saddle) Wikipedia article on a the Japanese stirrup (abumi). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abumi Wikimedia commons Japanese saddle related images. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kura-no-baju_(Japanese_saddle_and_related_parts) Here is a picture showing some items I allowed the New York Museum of Natural History to use for a traveling exhibit on horses that they helped put together. .

Piers, this method works good, the saya has a slot, after the blade is inserted into the saya the two wood pieces are slid in and lock the blade in place, the fit is really tight.