Rikusentai: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Japanese Naval Landing Forces 1927-1945

by Austin Adachi

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Japanese Naval Landing Forces 1927-1945 is a comprehensive reference compiled from thorough examination of wartime Japanese documents, official monographs, officer memoirs, and previously unpublished materials. Rikusentai analyzes the development, organization, weapons, equipment, and units of Japan’s Naval Landing Forces from their rise to prominence in the late 1920’s to their eventual downfall during World War II. The text is accompanied by a large number of rare and unseen period photographs, providing unparalleled visual detail while exploring the Naval Landing Forces on a level of detail and accuracy never seen before.

117 pages, Paperback

Published December 31, 2020

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austin Adachi has put together a brief but informative book on the ground forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This is undoubtedly the best work available on the subject in English. Only a chapter in Ness's Rikugun Vol. 1 covers some similar ground. There is an older Osprey on uniforms, but beyond that one is left with scattered anecdotes or vague mention of Japanese "marines." Though to describe them as such is a bit of a misnomer, as the book notes the IJN only had marines in a conventional sense from 1871-76.

Rikusentai opens with sections on the various types of IJN ground forces. Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) are the most well-known, but aren't alone. If you want to know the difference between SNLF, NLF, Defence Units, Guard Units, etc., then this is the book for you. Sections on uniforms, infantry equipment, weapons, and vehicles follow. Tables at the back list the various units, when they were formed, and when they were disbanded. The book is chock-full of photographs, the vast majority of which I hadn't seen before.

This is not an exhaustive history, nor does it set out to be. There is no detailed operational history. It is a brief introduction to the purpose, development, organization, and equipment of IJN ground forces in a format that lends itself well to quick reference.

[Gayle Siebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously researched and well written. It's a lot to take in but definitely a book you can pick up, read for an hour, and come back to time and again. Lots of amazing, never before published photos collected by the author in the course of his interviews.