I spent the day in town looking for martial arts books and came away with an armful! I'll post a review when I've finished them but as a quick Sunday night post here are the references for two slim publications I picked up from the Royal Armouries. At about 36 pages each they're not too detailed but they are really great introductions (as their names imply) and I found them incredibly well laid out and easy to digest. There's a great description and graphic of how the swords are made.
An introduction to Japanese swords
Both by Ian Bottomley available from the Royal Armouries website.
When it comes to Japanese armor, this kind of introduction can be perfect. There are so many details and intricacies within the different generations of armor...it can be a little much right off the bat!
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