Fujishiro's Nihon Toko Jiten is the classic indispensable reference and guide for the serious collector of Japanese swords, containing thousands of oshigata photos along with detailed descriptions of many swordsmiths of the koto and shinto periods and their -saku ratings. Harry Afu Watson's English translations are a hard-to-find (out-of-print) accompaniment that unlocks the contents for those who can't read the original Japanese.
NIHON TOKO JITEN (KOTO-HEN) FUJISHIRO Matsuo (r.1964, 619 pag