Mike HewittUniforms and Equipment of the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II

There is a lot of good reference information in this book, but as some people have stated the photograph arrangement truly is atrocious. The reason I say this is in other books produced by this publisher, they effectively arrange the photographs near by the sections on literature that are describing and going over the items. In this book, you have to go back and forth between multiple pages to see what they're referring to.Its very annoying and inconvenient the way its setup, but otherwise it is a good source of information to use as a reference. It will probably be my secondary reference book for the Japanese equipment, but it will still be very useful.

This is not a bad basic review on the subject, I will try the other book I have heard about on this subject for possibly a more detailed view. Good overall start, however.

If you are a collector of Japanese WW2 military items, this is your book. Within this 288 page, richly illustrated book you will find almost everything you are looking for in one collection. The book is filled with photos from personal albums and the authors amazing collection of items. Items span from the war with China through 1945 when the war with America ended. Descriptions of the articles are well written. This is especially helpful when you are trying to figure out insignias and ranks for shoulder boards and collars on the tunic. There are also explanations for where different items were made for instance. The army is well covered with personal items included such as spoons, brushes, knives and bandages. Most people assume the Japanese only fought in warm climates. Their cold weather gear is well represented here too- when they fought in Kiska and Attu in the Alaskan chain or when they were fighting the Chinese. This would be a great book to begin your collecting with- you would know what to buy and look for. If you are like me and satrted your collection before buying this book, its equally great, because now you can go through each item and compare them to the many photos.The book does not cover specialty wings of the Japanese military, such as paratroopers or Naval Landing Forces. You can find volumes in the Osprey Publishing lines to tide you over until something more detailed comes along. There is a small chapter on firearms, grenades, mortars, bayonets etc. But swords are not included. There are lots of books on that subject though.I think this book although expensive for some, is invaluable and a resource you will always refer to. This is excellent.

You can not go wrong with Schiffer Military History Books. No, really, you can't! I have been collecting military antiques since the early 1980's and had to rely on my own research, best judgement, and trust in the dealer for the best price for an original. Schiffer Military is the one and only best answer to most (if not all) questions from collectors, reenactors, modelers, etc. With almost NOTHING available about Japanese WWII uniforms and equipment, this book more then files the void. I had very high expectations about this book, and it did not let me down! With shelves full of German and US WWII Schiffer books, this book of Japanese WWII Army uniforms and equipment fit nicely. 288 pages of typical Schiffer perfection and attention to detail. Full of glossy full color photographs of original items and period b/w photographs showing the items being used/worn. A book that finally answered the questions, "how the heck is this used, worn, tied, carried, etc".

Extremely good detail, lavishly illustrated with many, many period photographs as well as pictures of original uniforms and equipment. Mr. Hewitt also gives a huge amount of information within his text. The beginning of the book even gives detailed information on the two (then three) calendar systems utilized by the Japanese government in the markings put on equipment and clothing. The editing of the book is flawless - I have yet to find glaring typos, let alone simple ones. This is a well crafted, informative, educational book giving great insight into the IJA in WW2. Whether you collect, reenact, or just into history and research of the various powers involved in the defining era of the 20th Century, I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Nice collections of many uniforms and JIA equipment. Good pictorial

This is a must for any collector of Japaneese militaria of WW2 time frame. The subject has not been well thought of in the Militaria collecting field for WW2 Japaneese collectors and collectors of WW2 militaria in general.

Great book, full of a lot of information.

Great book! Lots of great pictures.

Libro bastante completo en lo que se refiere a uniformidad y equipamiento Japones con fotos de época y actuales de equipos originales; encuantro a faltar algún dibujo a color de la uniformidad. Por lo demás muy interesante. Me alegro de haber realizado esta compra; por otro lado AMAZON ex- celente como siempre en envio y empaquetado.

Another typical Schiffer effort - Lots of pictures, no substance.Many of these images (incidentally taken by a family photographer, rather than to publishing standard), are pointless or wasted, without proper or full captioning. What few words we find in these captions are simply copied verbatim from the thin 'body' text, or merely state the bleedin' obvious ("This man wears a medal", for example)!Like many 'works' from this pretend publisher, this thing is continually flung aside in exasperation...If you want to learn anything about the Japanese Soldier, his life and his uniforms, buy Agustin Saiz's 'Heitai'.

a definitive book.

Good color photos of the items. A lot of information especially on uniforms and headgear. I recomment this book to anybody who is interested of ww2 imperial japanese army.