Anyone Know of Any Good Books on the Ki-84

[contrails16]

Hi all,
The past week I was searching for books on the Ki-84, and it seems all the ones I found were mostly old photos and bare minimum info about the plane. I was wondering if anyone knows of any well written books on the matter in English please let me know. If these books do not exist, I plan to write my own... may come here for help in the future if this is the case. Thank you

 

[Snautzer01]

There are good books. Only not in english but japanese.

 

[contrails16]

There are good books. Only not in english but japanese.

Maybe I can work with some of the authors and friends to try and either translate the works or create an entirely new book for the English market.

 

[Snautzer01]

Why not? Go get them.

 

[contrails16]

Why not? Go get them.

You know I know this might sound silly, but I was reading Henry Sakaida's book on the I-400 a while back, and in the intro when he talks about how the book came to be, I was so inspired. You know, if he could write a book with friends on the side over the years, I can too. I really just want to be able to get vital information about this plane out there to those of us in the English market who have an interest. I don't care about making money, I just want to do this because I've had a passion for ww2 tech for a long time, and it just seems like something fun to do that can benefit those of us in the community with similar interests.I talk tech specs and operational history of this plane and others all the time, so why not put my enthusiasm to work you know? I will likely come to the forum a lot for advice in the future

 

[Snautzer01]

Nothing is silly if you believe in it. All good stories begin when someone is getting of his ass and just starts chipping away towards his/her goal.

So good luck to you.

 

[contrails16]

Nothing is silly if you believe in it. All good stories begin when someone is getting of his ass and just starts chipping away towards his/her goal.

So good luck to you.

Thank you

 

[Baball]

Kagero has published two books about the Ki-84 as part of its monograph series in n°18 and n°53, both in polish and english.

 

[contrails16]

Kagero has published two books about the Ki-84 as part of its monograph series in n°18 and n°53, both in polish and english.

Have you read these at all? The only reason I ask is that it seems that they only include pictures and do not mention much about the aircraft and its operational history. It should be noted that I have not read these books. Thanks for the reply

 

[fubar57]

This book has lots of info; in Japanese and English

​

Lots here as well but in Japanese. Use the Google Translate app for best results

 

[contrails16]

This book has lots of info; in Japanese and English

View attachment 589996
​

Lots here as well but in Japanese. Use the Google Translate app for best results

View attachment 589997​

Hmm maybe I should try picking up a copy of the aero detail book and giving it a read. It's just that I assumed it was mostly photographs and not much info on the plane and operational history

 

[contrails16]

This book has lots of info; in Japanese and English

View attachment 589996
​

Lots here as well but in Japanese. Use the Google Translate app for best results

View attachment 589997​

I've read through what little photos of the pages I could find online, it does seem to be quite detailed and kind of what I wanted to write for the English market. Seeing that this type of book does already exist, I feel I should place my efforts somewhere else. Thank you for sharing Fubar

 

[nuuumannn]

This book has lots of info; in Japanese and English

I'd love a copy of that, hard to get hold of these days. I have the one on the Kawanishi H8K, which focusses on the survivor at Kanoya, although when the book was written the aircraft was at the maritime museum in Tokyo.

The sole surviving Ki-84 is at the Chiran Peace Museum near Kagoshima.

 

[contrails16]

I'd love a copy of that, hard to get hold of these days. I have the one on the Kawanishi H8K, which focusses on the survivor at Kanoya, although when the book was written the aircraft was at the maritime museum in Tokyo.

The sole surviving Ki-84 is at the Chiran Peace Museum near Kagoshima.

Is the aero detail on the H8K good? I know how expensive these books can get sadly, I spent $100 for a brand new copy of Genda's blade

 

[nuuumannn]

Is the aero detail on the H8K good?

Yes it is, very detailed. Originally written in Japanese, it has translations in English but is not throughout. If you are familiar with the format of the Aero Detail books, it follows the same, and the wealth of detailed information is huge. It includes extensive interior shots as well as descriptions of aircraft systems and the effort gone into restoring it once it arrived in Japan. I bought my copy in the USA many years ago, so it didn't cost much at the time and it was still in print.

 

[contrails16]

Yes it is, very detailed. Originally written in Japanese, it has translations in English but is not throughout. If you are familiar with the format of the Aero Detail books, it follows the same, and the wealth of detailed information is huge. It includes extensive interior shots as well as descriptions of aircraft systems and the effort gone into restoring it once it arrived in Japan. I bought my copy in the USA many years ago, so it didn't cost much at the time and it was still in print.

Awesome!!! Thanks I hope to go see the H8K one day, but I'm going to have to wait until after college lol. Three years until I can go hopefully. I also want to visit Kure, and many other museums

 

[nuuumannn]

I also want to visit Kure, and many other museums

Japan has lots of good aviation museums, but they are spread around the length of the country. If its WW2 aircraft you are after, there are specific places to earmark. In Tokyo you can find one of only two surviving D4Y bombers, at the Yushukan as well as the only two seat Zero in the Science Museum in Ueno Park. At Tokorozawa in the museum there is the Planes of Fame Zero and a replica Ki-27.

At Misawa in Aomori is a near complete Ki-54 transport, at Kawaguchiko Motor Museum near Mt Fuji there are three Zeores and a Ki-43 and the fuselage of a G4M bomber. There is a complete Ki-61 on display at Kakamigahara - Gifu JASDF base in the museum there in Nagoya, as well as a replica of the Zero prototype. There's also a Zero and a composite J8M Shusui in the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries museum near Aichi Airport in Nagoya.

At the Tachiarai Peace Museum south of Fukuoka there is a Ki-27 and a clipped wing Zero and at the Chiran Peace Museum near Kagoshima is the Ki-84 and a replica Ki-43. Lastly, the JNSDF base at Kanoya south of Kirishima has the H8K.

There are heaps of Zeroes across different museums around the country aside from those mentioned here.

if its naval stuff you like, go to Yokosuka to visit the Mikasa, Togo's flagship at Tsushima and the world's last pre-dreadnought battleship, and Kure, where there is the Yamato Museum and the JNSDF msueum that has a submarine. You can reach Kure by ferry from Hiroshima, so go look at the atom bomb stuff there.

 

[nuuumannn]

I took these when the H8K was at the Museum of Maritime Science in Tokyo.

H8K 01

H8K 02

 

[Baball]

Have you read these at all? The only reason I ask is that it seems that they only include pictures and do not mention much about the aircraft and its operational history. It should be noted that I have not read these books. Thanks for the reply

I have a copy of kagero monograph n°18 and it has quite a lot of info about the Ki-84.
A summary of the main sections in the book :

• The origin and development
• Other modificatons and development versions
• Operational use
• Camouflage and markings
• Technical characteristics
• Appendix
  • The more important IJAAF units that used the Ki-84
  • Tactical and technical data
  • Ki-84 production by Nakajima plants
  • Some comparison data of the engine and armament
• Lots of three-view blueprints with some pages showing where modifications were made throughout the development and production

 

[contrails16]

Japan has lots of good aviation museums, but they are spread around the length of the country. If its WW2 aircraft you are after, there are specific places to earmark. In Tokyo you can find one of only two surviving D4Y bombers, at the Yushukan as well as the only two seat Zero in the Science Museum in Ueno Park. At Tokorozawa in the museum there is the Planes of Fame Zero and a replica Ki-27.

At Misawa in Aomori is a near complete Ki-54 transport, at Kawaguchiko Motor Museum near Mt Fuji there are three Zeores and a Ki-43 and the fuselage of a G4M bomber. There is a complete Ki-61 on display at Kakamigahara - Gifu JASDF base in the museum there in Nagoya, as well as a replica of the Zero prototype. There's also a Zero and a composite J8M Shusui in the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries museum near Aichi Airport in Nagoya.

At the Tachiarai Peace Museum south of Fukuoka there is a Ki-27 and a clipped wing Zero and at the Chiran Peace Museum near Kagoshima is the Ki-84 and a replica Ki-43. Lastly, the JNSDF base at Kanoya south of Kirishima has the H8K.

There are heaps of Zeroes across different museums around the country aside from those mentioned here.

if its naval stuff you like, go to Yokosuka to visit the Mikasa, Togo's flagship at Tsushima and the world's last pre-dreadnought battleship, and Kure, where there is the Yamato Museum and the JNSDF msueum that has a submarine. You can reach Kure by ferry from Hiroshima, so go look at the atom bomb stuff there.

Yep! I knew of many of those places and they are all on the list lol. Ugh! I wish I could go to all of them tomorrow thanks for the info I didn't know about, the part with the ferry and ki 54 are quite interesting.