Designer's Guide to Samurai Patterns by Allen, Jeanne; Katano, Takashi - 1990

U.S.A.: Chronicle Books, 1990 « Fourth in the bestselling Designer's Guide to Japanese Patterns series, Samurai Patterns evokes the spirit of Japan's legendary warrior class. Conscious of style even as they prepared for battle, the samurai embellished their armor, helmets, and swords with the finest Japanese craftsmanship. Members of this colorful fraternity of fighters embodied heroic virtue and a love of ideals while seeking to achieve a balance between the bu (the martial arts including archery, swordsmanship, hunting, and falconry) and bun (the cultivated arts of the tea ceremony, calligraphy, poetry composition, and lower arrangement).»