John Plimpton and his book Swords of the Emperor

[Kotetsu1959]

     As many of you are aware, John Plimpton passed away on October 5, 2022. He was an accomplished and enigmatic collector of all types of Japanese military and civil swords. John sought to add to his collection every possible type of sword authorized for military or civil servants of Imperial Japan. John was a fountainhead of knowledge when it came to Imperial Japanese swords, and generously shared his knowledge. John's father was a surgeon, and John grew up the Hollywood Hills. John attended USC, later serving in the United States Navy, though it is a little hard to imagine John following orders from anyone. John worked at a number of arms related businesses, including the firearms branch of the Peterson Museum. As John's sister Ann noted at the celebration of John's life this past Saturday, John marched to the sound of his own drummer. Those of us who had the benefit of knowing John and learning from him certainly are saddened that he has left the sword room. 

     We received a report Saturday from John's editor Stephen Weese that John's book, Swords of the Emperor, should be out no later than March of this year. John had originally entitled the book Guide to Identification of Japanese Imperial, Military and Civil Swords, and strongly resisted the change of title that was insisted on by the publisher. There were a couple of copies of the book initially self-published by John on Amazon. He wanted to examine the quality of what Amazon was able to produce. He was not satisfied with the paper quality or the non-sewn binding of Amazon. John's publisher, Headstamp Publishing, promised John they could produce the book with high quality paper and images contained in a quality sewn binding for durability. Headstamp was kind enough to produce one copy for John to examine while John was still able. I have also examined that copy. The book is very impressive, and represents the most comprehensive and detailed guide to Imperial Japanese swords that has yet been produced. At the same time, John acknowledged the contribution of Gregory and Fuller, and of Jim Dawson. These author's works are foundational to understanding Imperial Japanese swords.

     It seems unlikely that anyone starting now could hope to amass a collection as extensive as what John put together. Though John sometimes sold swords and other items, he was far more of a collector than dealer. In addition to swords, John was a fanatical collector of Imperial Japanese sword knots and tassels. Thankfully, John undertook a careful effort over a period of years to create a lasting pictorial guide to inform those of us also interested in these obscure objects. I am most grateful for the knowledge, swords, knots, tassels and kindness John shared with me. If you have ordered John's book, I believe you will be well pleased. One of John's best qualities is that he would admit what he didn't know, but he would not give up trying to learn. He truly was one of kind.

[Bruce Pennington]

Already got my copy on order!

[Brian]

Happy to assist with marketing it here. Let the publishers contact me if they like. We'll work out a way to get it decent exposure.

[Ontario_Archaeology]

I've also pre ordered the book, I'm really excited for it. I hope it includes the sword tassels he had in his collection as there is such a large variety of them! 

[jeep44]

Has anyone actually received their copy of this book yet? I ordered mine way back when I saw it mentioned on a YT video. it's getting close to March...

[Kiipu]

The webpage states the book will start to ship in March 2023.

 

Quote

Swords of the Emperor

• We began accepting pre-orders on April 18, 2022.
• Paper has arrived at our printer, and printing is commencing shortly.
• We currently estimate that books will be ready to ship in March 2023.
• Some additional details about the production of this book, including the reasons for the extended production lead times, can be seen at Ian’s book announcement video HERE.

Swords Of The Emperor

[Bridges]

Thanks for the update Kiipu, definitely going to get a copy.

[jeep44]

I just got an email stating that this book has arrived at the warehouse and will begin shipping soon.

[DTM72]

[Kotetsu1959]

     My copy arrived today, and I am very pleased. It is a shame that John will not be able to enjoy the many favorable comments that would be coming his way from those of us who purchased his book. If you are interested in better understanding the most commonly encountered types of Japanese swords, as well as some Imperial military and civil swords that are quite rare, this is a very useful volume. Thank you John!

[Hassell]

My copy also arrived today.   As usual for Headstamp, the quality is very good.

[francois2605]

I received my copy this week, the quality of the book is truly astonishing. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. 

[Bruce Pennington]

I've been slowly going through mine, page by page.  The book itself is gorgeous, with gold gilding on the edges of the pages.  I was a little surprised, though, that there's not a single blade photo in the entire book.  But then, the title does specify that it's "A Guide to the Identification of Imperial Japanese Swords", in other words, identifying the Types and thier variations.

 

In some cases, a look at the blade matters, so don't throw away your Dawson and Fuller books!

[John C]

1 hour ago, Bruce Pennington said:

I was a little surprised, though, that there's not a single blade photo in the entire book.

Given the above, and the few inaccurate descriptions, would you recommend the book to a novice in addition to or instead of F&G as a reference? I currently do not own either one. 

John C.

[drb 1643]

2 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

I've been slowly going through mine, page by page.  The book itself is gorgeous, with gold gilding on the edges of the pages.  I was a little surprised, though, that there's not a single blade photo in the entire book.  But then, the title does specify that it's "A Guide to the Identification of Imperial Japanese Swords", in other words, identifying the Types and thier variations.

 

In some cases, a look at the blade matters, so don't throw away your Dawson and Fuller books!

I completely agree Bruce, the Dawson Cyclopedia is the gold standard!

Tom

[Bruce Pennington]

10 hours ago, John C said:

would you recommend the book to a novice in addition to or instead of F&G as a reference?

I admit, I am not more than a third of the way through the book, but so far, I agree with Tom.  The Plimpton book is beautiful, and I have read that it has some versions of some of the occupied territory swords that are not shown in other books. But so far, Dawson would be my number one, with Fuller, number two, and this one number three so far.

[John C]

1 hour ago, Bruce Pennington said:

But so far, Dawson would be my number one, with Fuller, number two, and this one number three so far.

Thank you, Bruce. I trust your instincts so I will be on the lookout for an affordable copy of Dawson.

John C.

[paulb]

I received a copy of the book today. Headstamp have done an exceptional job. The quality of illustrations is excellent and offers an incredible reference to those with an interest in this field of collecting. I think it is also a great tribute to its author John Plimpton who sadly passed away prior to publication. The images used are largely taken from his own collection which was regarded as amongst the best.

[Whitecap]

Received my copy today and agree with all the previous comments, excellent quality and photographs, and sits well in my library alongside the Dawson and Fuller books.

[Bruce Pennington]

It’s truly amazing the vast number of variations he owned in each of the particular categories.