Anthony J. Bryant

Anthony J. Bryant (February 14, 1961 – December 25, 2013) was an American author and editor. He worked in Japan for a period of time, and became an authority on medieval Japanese armor and samurai culture.

Early life

Bryant was born in Franklin, Indiana, and he was adopted at age 5 by Robert M. and Margaret Bryant. Following the death of his father when Bryant was 6, he and his mother moved to Miami Shores, Florida, where he spent his youth and attended Pinecrest Preparatory School. After graduating from Florida State University in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in Japanese studies, he completed his graduate studies in Japanese studies (history, language, and armor) at Takushoku University, graduating in 1986. Bryant lived in Japan from 1986 to 1992. He also earned an M.A. in Japanese from Indiana University Bloomington in 2003.

Career

While living in Japan, Bryant worked as a features editor for the ''Mainichi Daily News'', and as editor for the '' Tokyo Journal'', an English language monthly magazine. He was considered a historian of Japan specializing in Kamakura, Muromachi, and Momoyama period warrior culture.

After returning from Japan in 1995, he became the editor of '' Dragon '', the flagship publication of TSR, the creators of the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', for eight issues.

For several years, Bryant made presentations and appeared on panels at several conventions, including the 52nd World Science Fiction Convention in Winnipeg in 1994, and the 54th World Science Fiction Convention in Anaheim in 1996.

As an authority on Japanese armor, Bryant became widely involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism. He provided a foreword for ''The Watanabe Art Museum Samurai Armour Collection Volume 1: Kabuto & Mengu''.

Bryant wrote four books for Osprey Publishing on samurai history, and co-authored, with Mark T. Arsenault, the core rulebook for the role-playing game '' Sengoku: Chanbara Roleplaying in Feudal Japan''.

Reception

In his book ''The Shogun's Soldiers'', Michael von Essen highly recommended Bryant's ''Samurai 1550–1600'' as an "easily accessible book on samurai and '' ashigaru'' at the time of apanesecivil wars."

In ''Anime Sacramento'', Laurine White responded to an article about Japanimation by Bryant that had been published in ''EYE-AI'' magazine, saying, "Some of what ryanthas to say is suspect, like 'Few who see '' Dr. Slump'' fail to love it.' If that were true, subtitled ''Dr. Slump'' should be in great demand. Sure it is!"

Death

Bryant died on December 25, 2013, at St. Francis Health in Indianapolis.

Books

* ''The Samurai'', (Elite), Osprey Publishing, London (1989)
* ''Early Samurai AD 200–1500'', Osprey Publishing, London (1991)
* ''Samurai 1550–1600'', Osprey Publishing, London (1994)
* ''Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power'', Osprey Publishing, London (1995)
* ''Sengoku: Chanbara Roleplaying in Feudal Japan'', Gold Rush Games; Revised edition (May 1, 2002)
* ''Iwaya no sōshi ("The Tale of the Cave House"): A Translation and Commentary'', Indiana University (2003)
* ''Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power'', Praeger Publishers (September 2005)

Other works

*
Nihon Katchu Seisakuben
'', a Japanese armor manual
* ''The Estates of Heian Nobility'' (essay)

References

External links

Sengoku Daimyo
– Anthony J. Bryant's website

Author of Osprey books on Japanese military history
Article on Rencentral.com

Author biography
from Osprey Military Publishing

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Anthony J.
1961 births
20th-century American historians
20th-century American male writers
2013 deaths
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
American adoptees
American male non-fiction writers
American military historians
Dungeons & Dragons game designers
Florida State University alumni
Historians of Japan
Indiana University Bloomington alumni
People from Franklin, Indiana
Writers from Indiana