I have always been very interested in history and consider myself to be more well versed in general history of the world than the normal person, however I don't have any incredibly deep knowledge about any particular era and place.
One time period that has fascinated me for some time is the Warring States period of Japan, but I have a very cursory knowledge of the era. I know what I know from playing video games like Shogun 2 or mods of games like Gekokujo for Mount and Blade Warband, but now I really feel like I want to legit sit down and read some shit about the era. Everything about it ranging from customs,clothes, and food to warfare and philosophy and everything in between.
So could someone please guide me to some books to read? I would like ones that delve in to as much detail on as many different aspects of life during Sengoku as much as possible.
Thank you very much
p.s If this is the wrong subreddit to be asking this kind of advice please redirect me to the correct one :)
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopaedia: Kodansha - brief overview of the period, but it lacks depth in some areas.
Japan: A Documentary History: The Dawn of History to the Late Tokugawa Period: Lu, D. - specifically, the edicts of the 1588 Sword Hunt directed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the eventual collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate
The Samurai: A military history: Turnbull, S. - use of cavalry from the Heian to the Sengoku periods, as well as various other techniques
The Japanese Sword: Sato, K. - specifically, more than 1000 years (that are relatively detailed) on the use of swords (katana are the ones in focus) - the history and development/requirements of various swords (tachi, uchigatana, katana), smithing process (and pros and cons of materials, methods) and significance of each.
War in Japan: 1467 - 1615: Turnbull, S. - specifically, the use of katana and cavalry during the Muromachi and Sengoku periods, as well as in general the Sengoku period.
That pretty much sums up the book list I was offered, with some annotations I added later.