Suzu, a young woman from the countryside, joins her new husband and his family in the shipbuilding city of Kure. As her beautiful home collapses around her, Suzu must confront the challenges of a new life while coming to grips with a world in turmoil. Unwilling to give up hope, Suzu struggles against the horrors of war to create her own happiness.

    A companion volume to his best-selling Armageddon, Max Hastings' account of the battle for Japan is a masterful military history.Featuring the most remarkable cast of commanders the world has ever seen, the dramatic battle for Japan of 1944-45 was acted out across the vast stage of Asia: Imphal and Kohima, Leyte Gulf and Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Soviet assault on Manchuria.In this gripping narrative, Max Hastings weaves together the complex strands of an epic war, exploring the military tactics behind some of the most triumphant and most horrific scenes of the 20th century. The result is a masterpiece that balances the story of command decisions, rivalries, and follies with the experiences of soldiers, sailors, and airmen of all sides as only Max Hastings can.

    and Japan learn Japanese successfully.Japanese has two basic writing systems, hiragana and katakana, in addition to the one that uses Chinese characters or Kanji. This handy book teaches you a new mnemonics—based method to read and write the basic 92 hiragana and katakana characters.Memorable picture mnemonics help you to learn the characters by associating their shapes and sounds with combinations of images and English words already familiar to you.Clear examples and entertaining exercises offer opportunities to read, write, use and practice all 46 basic hiragana and 46 basic katakana characters, plus the remaining kana that stand for more complex sounds.Polish your knowledge with word searches, crossword puzzles, fill–in–the–blanks, timed recognition quizzes, and other interesting activities.The CD–ROM allows you to print out your own flash cards (featuring the same mnemonic images taught in the book) to help you review and practice, even while you're on the go.

    He was honored by a statue and a special celebration with thousands of guestsaeven while he was living as a wild street dog in a drainpipe. Once the cherished pet of Professor Eizaburo Ueno, Hachi-Ko won fame among young and old for his undying loyalty to the memory of his master. He returned like clockwork to meet the commuter train at Shibuya Train Station at the same time every day for seven years, despite battles with delinquents, dogcatchers, and vicious strays who threatened him and his friends. Faithful to his death, Hachi-Ko is famous even today as the Akita samurai dog of Japan. Shizuko O. Koster, author of the award-winning non-fiction story aThe Day Mother Sold the Family Swords, a ventures back to her motheras generation to tell the whole story of Tokyoas four-legged hero: Hachi-Ko.

    Reflective and often humorous, these tales reveal an enormous amount about Japanese culture, while the inner struggles of the characters always strike the universal.

    The first book on this legendary film figure in English, this highly visual biography details his fascinating life and career, featuring hundreds of film stills, posters, concept art, and delightful on-set photos of Tsuburaya prompting monsters to crush landmark buildings. A must-have for fans, this towering tribute also features profiles of Tsuburaya's film collaborators, details on his key films and shows (most available on DVD), and features on the enduring popularity of the characters he helped create.

    This is the story of Lord Otori Shigeru — who has presided over the entire series as a sort of spiritual warrior-godfather — the man who saved Takeo and raised him as his own and heir to the Otori clan. This sweeping novel expands on what has been only hinted at before: Shigeru's training in the ways of the warrior and feudal lord, his relationship with the Tribe of mysteriously powerful assassins, the battles that tested his skills and talents, and his fateful meeting with Lady Maruyama.Heaven's Net Is Wide is an epic tale of warfare, loyalty, love, and heartbreak. This book leaves off where Across the Nightingale Floor begins, finally bringing the Otori series full circle. And while it both completes and introduces the Tales of the Otori, it also stands on its own as a satisfying, dramatic novel of feudal Japan.

    Drawing from street culture, high art, and traditional Japanese painting, Murakami takes the contemporary art trend of mixing high and low to an unprecedented level (critics call him the new Warhol), producing original paintings and sculptures as well as mass-produced consumer objects such as toys, books, and most famously, a line of handbags for Louis Vuitton. A committed supporter and spokesperson for Japanese artists and a powerful commentator on postwar culture and society, Murakami has organized influential exhibitions of Japanese art as well as a biannual art fair in Tokyo. Murakami has positioned himself as a new type of artist for the twenty-first century: a hybrid of creator, entrepreneur, and cultural ambassador.In conjunction with the first major retrospective of his work, Murakami traces Murakami’s global impact socially, culturally, and art historically. Essays focus on Murakami’s early works, which were based on a social critique of Japan’s rampant consumerism; the development of his characters; his work with anime, fantasy; otaku culture; and his engagement with global pop culture. Representing output from original works of art to mass-produced multiples, the catalogue also considers the implications of Murakami’s working methods within the tradition of the Western avant-garde.

    In this highly practical book, Western gardeners are encouraged to draw upon the techniques and sculpt their own garden trees to unique effect. After first discussing the principles that underpin the techniques, the author offers in-depth guidelines for shaping pines, azaleas, conifers, broadleaved evergreens, bamboos and deciduous trees. Throughout the text, step-by-step illustrations accompany the instructions, while abundant photographs and anecdotes bring the ideas surrounding niwaki vividly to life.

    His simple, restrained and user-friendly products appeal to people's shared experience of things. The wall-mounted CD player he designed for MUJI in 1999, based on the image of a kitchen fan, was selected into MoMA's design collection in 2005The book is the first survey on Fukasawa's work to be published in English. Edited by Fukasawa himself, and with contributions by artists, designers and lecturers, such as Antony Gormley and Jasper Morrison, the book introduces the reader to the designer's particular and innovative design approach. Illustrated with newly commissioned photography, the book showcases over 100 products, which Fukasawa elucidates with a clever combination of images and words

    Morimoto's flavorful cooking is characterized by beautiful Japanese color combinations and aromas, while his preparation infuses influences such as traditional Chinese spices and simple Italian ingredients, presented in a refined French style. Bringing all these elements home, with helpful step-by-step instructions and gorgeous photography, this accessible book explains Chef Morimoto's cooking techniques and plating philosophies and brings Japanese cooking to you at home.This sumptuous book brings Morimoto's unique style to the home cook through over 100 accessible recipes, gorgeous four-color photography, and helpful step-by-step instructions. In addition, Chef Morimoto delves into the importance of such topics as slicing and curing fish, how to properly eat sushi, the origins and significance of rice, dashi, soy sauce, tofu, blowfish, and other hard-to-find ingredients.Whether you're a fan of "Iron Chef," or just want to learn more about Japanese tradition or bring fusion cuisine to your own kitchen, this is the first truly accessible cookbook from one of the world's most inspiring chefs.

    The plates were drawn from the finest impressions in the holdings of the French National Library.

    At the heart of this story is the maverick general Tadamichi Kuriyabashi, devoted family man, brilliant leader and the first man on the island to know they were all going to die. Kumiko Kakehashi's heart rending account is based on letters written home by the doomed soldiers on the island, most family men, conscripted late in the war. She reveals a very different Japanese army from the popular image. It is an incredibly moving portrayal of men determined to resist to the last breath.

    Miyazawa Kenji: Selections collects a wide range of his poetry and provides an excellent introduction to his life and work. Miyazawa was a teacher of agriculture by profession and largely unknown as a poet until after his death. Since then his work has increasingly attracted a devoted following, especially among ecologists, Buddhists, and the literary avant-garde. This volume includes poems translated by Gary Snyder, who was the first to translate a substantial body of Miyazawa’s work into English. Hiroaki Sato’s own superb translations, many never before published, demonstrate his deep familiarity with Miyazawa’s poetry. His remarkable introduction considers the poet’s significance and suggests ways for contemporary readers to approach his work. It further places developments in Japanese poetry into a global context during the first decades of the twentieth century. In addition the book features a Foreword by the poet Geoffrey O’Brien and essays by Tanikawa Shuntaro, Yoshimasu Gozo, and Michael O’Brien.

    It stands to reason that students of Japanese would long to read them in their original language. Exploring Japanese Literature enables them to do just that. Featuring one each of these writers most characteristic stories - plus linguistic support in the form of a built-in dictionary - the book picks up where the authors previous bestselling text, Breaking into Japanese Literature, left off. The poignancy of romance between a wealthy Tokyoite and a provincial geisha in Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country; the ecstatic frenzy of a couple committing ritual suicide in Mishima's Patriotism; the amoral antics of a playboy aesthete trying to fire up his flagging zest for life in Tanizaki's The Secret-Exploring Japanese Literature is a reader's entr e into the uniquely rich and exotic world of modern Japanese fiction. On each two-page spread, the original Japanese is printed in large type on the left-hand page, with the corresponding English translation on the right and the dictionary running along the bottoms of both. Everything the student needs to read the stories and understand them is right there. To enrich students experience even further, Exploring Japanese Literature also features biographies of the three novelists, mini-prefaces that set the scene for the individual stories, and evocative illustrations. In addition, there is a dedicated website at www.speaking-japanese.com where learners have the chance to put forward their own interpretations of the Japanese and engage in debate with the author, the editor and, of course, other readers of the book. Exploring Japanese Literature is recommended for upper-intermediate and advanced level students.

    Structured according to the seasonal units of an ancient Chinese almanac, East Wind Melts the Ice is made up of 72 short chapters that can be read straight through or dipped into at random. In the essays, Dalby transports us from her Berkeley garden to the streets of Kyoto, to Imperial China, to the sea cliffs of Northern California, and to points beyond. Throughout these journeys, Dalby weaves her memories of living in Japan and becoming the first and only non-Japanese geisha, her observations on the recurring phenomena of the natural world, and meditations on the cultural aesthetics of Japan, China, and California. She illuminates everyday life as well, in stories of keeping a pet butterfly, roasting rice cakes with her children, watching whales, and pampering worms to make compost. In the manner of the Japanese personal poetic essay, this vibrant work comprises 72 windows on a life lived between cultures, and the result is a wonderfully engaging read.

    The film's title refers to a curse that befalls someone who dies in the grip of a powerful rage. Those who encounter this murderous supernatural curse die, and a new one is born -- passed like a virus from victim to victim in an endless, growing chain of horror.

    Beginner level, first half, corresponding to the N5 level JLPT.Each volume is about 400 to 1,500 characters long.Uses 350 vocabulary words and uses desu/masu-form grammar.Vocabulary and grammar are the same as Level 0, but the stories are a little longer.Story Contents6)Takushii7)Sushi8)Kasajizou9)Jon-san basu no naka de10)Doushite saru no o ha mijikai? Doushite kurage ha hone ganai?

    In six short lessons of about twenty minutes, each of the two systems of "kana" writing are introduced in such a way that the absolute beginner can acquire fluency in writing in a fraction of the time normally devoted to the task.Using the same basic self-taught method devised for learning the kanji, and in collaboration with Helmut Morsbach and Kazue Kurebayashi, the author breaks the shapes of the two syllabaries into their component parts and draws on what he calls "imaginative memory" to aid the student in reassembling them into images that fix the sound of each particular kana to its writing.Now in its third edition, Remembering the Kana has helped tens of thousands of students of Japanese master the Hiragana and Katakana in a short amount of time . . . and have fun in the process.

    Eddie dies. But Mai falls into the world of her great-grandmother on the island of Hamahiga somewhere between heaven and earth. Odori is a novel that navigates through the glorious Ryukyuan Kingdom and the Golden Era of the Sho Dynasty, through bloody World War II Okinawa, and over parched prairies of Southern Alberta

    Literally meaning "pictures of the floating world", ukiyo-e refers to the famous Japanese woodblock print genre that originated in the 17th century and is practically synonymous with the Western worlds visual characterization of Japan. Though Hiroshige captured a variety of subjects, his greatest talent was in creating landscapes of his native Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and his most famous work was a series known as "100 Famous Views of Edo" (1856-1858). This book provides an introduction to his work and an overview of his career.About the Series: Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Series features:a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, covering the cultural and historical importance of the artist approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captions a concise biography

    In this disarmingly accessible study of the art of acting he shares his unique experience and range of expertise. An Actor's Tricks offers a meticulous scrutiny of the actor's preparation for performance and comes with a foreword by Peter Brook.Drawing on an unrivalled wealth and range of expertise in the fields of acting, directing and training, Yoshi Oida and Lorna Marshall provide an authoritative and fascinating study of the art of the actor.In scrutinising the process of performance from the twin perspectives of the actor and director, An Actor's Tricks is filled with hints, insights and stories from productions with Peter Brook and from around the world.Beginning with the daily preparation to train the body, it moves to the process of rehearsal for a performance right up to the moment when the actor steps onstage. An appendix of practical exercises is included for the actor to follow.The books combines principles and techniques from both Western and Eastern disciplines of acting to provide a masterful study essential for every actor and director.

    The technology of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is ready for widespread implementation. Its impacts will include a reduction in energy consumption for electric lighting by up to 80 percent.Brilliant! tells the story of Shuji Nakamura, a gifted Japanese engineer who came out of nowhere to stun the world with his announcement that he had created the last piece in the puzzle needed for manufacturing solid-state white lights. The invention of this holy-grail product, which promises to make Edison’s light bulb obsolete, had eluded the best minds at the top electronic firms for twenty-five years. Until his startling announcement, Nakamura had not even been on the radar screen of most industry observers. Veteran technology writer Bob Johnstone traces the career of Nakamura, which included many years of obstinate individual effort as well as a dramatic legal battle pitting him against his former Japanese employer. Over a five-year span, Nakamura distinguished himself with an unprecedented series of inventions—bright blue, green, ultraviolet, and then white LEDs, plus a blue laser that will play an essential role in the next-generation DVD players. Then he was forced to leave Nichia Chemical, the company where he had worked for twenty years, and his former employer sued him. The result was a multimillion-dollar settlement in a landmark decision that acknowledged, for the first time, the rights of individual inventors working in a corporate context. Today, Nakamura holds a professor’s chair at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he continues to develop the technology of LEDs. Johnstone, the first Western journalist to meet and interview Nakamura, has received the brilliant engineer’s full cooperation through a series of exclusive interviews given for the book. Johnstone has also interviewed other key players in the imminent lighting revolution, providing an exciting preview of the technological, entrepreneurial, and artistic creativity that will soon be unleashed by Nakamura’s inventions.

    Dispelling a few common myths along the way, Tokyo Underground 2 leads you on a highly entertaining tour of the neighborhoods in Tokyo known for toys and pop culture. To make the most of your time there, the stores highlighted within are ranked in terms of their importance and contain helpful descriptions of their specialties. Meet the characters that inhabit this world, from designers to eclectic toy shop owners. Find out where to eat and how to round out your toy purchases with the coolest in books, magazines, designer t-shirts, sneakers, music and more. Includes stunning photography, well-thought-out maps, and a specialized lexicon of terms and phrases to help you along on your tour of this fun and fascinating city. Providing advice about what to pack, where to go, and how to read subway maps and make telephone calls, Tokyo Underground 2 covers every step of your adventure with straightforward, useful information. As much a treasure map as a travel guide, Tokyo Underground 2 breaks down the countless confusing barriers that face visitors to Tokyo, and simplifies the journey to its essence. Tokyo is a fascinating city where skyscrapers are juxtaposed with ancient temples and the streets are packed with trendy teenagers, grey-suited businessmen, and hip urban professionals. But finding the best among Tokyo's 13 million inhabitants spread over 850 square miles and 23 sub-cities can be daunting -- especially when the coolest shops may be located down a hidden flight of stairs or obscured by the flashing lights of the neighboring ramen shop. A comprehensive resource, Tokyo Underground 2 makes the most secret shops and the coolest destinations accessible in a single book for the first time ever, offering a true insider's glimpse into the absolute latest in Tokyo toys, trends, and culture.

    Together with the publisher, Moriyama worked with larger prints and chose higher contrasts, abolishing all text in order to emphasize the dynamic, broken, blurred, vertiginously tilted, starkly cropped and timeless photography reproduced here. Moriyama is one of the most respected and influential photographers today, and this book bears the testimony of his early work, with all of its alluring landmark elements. Almost resulting in mayhem, these accidentally continuous black-and-white images can feel both invasive and intimate, as they freeze the animate and inanimate world before it is gone. An overwhelming torrent of early talent by an extraordinary artist.

    This book features a selection of 60 of the master's woodcut prints, culled from the complete series of the 'Manga' volumes.

    Dark Horse now presents the very first "Samurai Champloo" art book to English-reading fans as directly translated from the original Roman Album edition.

    Covering almost a thousand years and all of the major periods of Japanese history, this book describes and illustrates nearly 50 modes of Samurai dress, armour and weaponry.

    Where some of his work displays a profound cynicism, evidenced by scenes of brutal violence and sexual sadism, others are rife with comedic irony and sarcastic wit that make fun of even the most serious topics. This jarring combination of the erotic and grotesque, of a practice marked by light and dark impulses finds outlet through endless approaches - from painting, to sculpture, video and performance art so that it is the examination of Aidas contradictory nature that is key to understanding his work. For Aida, art itself is the only authority, and it is the artists mission to challenge conventional morality in depicting history and culture and its attendant violence and complexity.

    Takahashi is considered Japan's Keynes in many circles because of the forward-thinking (and controversial) fiscal and monetary policies--including deficit financing, currency devaluation, and lower interest rates--that he implemented to help Japan rebound from the Great Depression and move toward a modern economy.Richard J. Smethurst's engaging biography underscores the profound influence of the seven-time finance minister on the political and economic development of Japan by casting new light on Takahashi's unusual background, unique talents, and singular experiences as a charismatic and cosmopolitan financial statesman.Along with the many fascinating personal episodes--such as working as a houseboy in California and running a silver mine in the Andes--that molded Takahashi and his thinking, the book also highlights four major aspects of Takahashi's life: his unorthodox self-education, his two decades of service at the highest levels of government, his pathbreaking economic and political policies before and during the Depression, and his efforts to stem the rising tide of militarism in the 1930s. Deftly weaving together archival sources, personal correspondence, and historical analysis, Smethurst's study paints an intimate portrait of a key figure in the history of modern Japan.

    Each section introduces a new stitching technique, guiding the reader through the temari repertoire, until he/she has become a temari master by the book's conclusion. These crafts are inexpensive and fast to make—half of the 26 designs can be completed in less than two hours each. Sidebars throughout the book are loaded with beautiful watercolors and notes on Japanese culture and poetry, and colorful pictures and rich text make this unique craft book appealing to buyers both as a how-to guide and as a beautiful gift book.

    Super 7 has elevated this form to the highest possible pinnacle with the new redesign of their magazine as a deluxe twice a year release. Elegant to the extreme in a slip cased black and silver Flexi-bound, this beautifully designed and immaculately photographed title is a museum quality catalogue for collectors, aficionados or self proclaimed toy geeks. Super 7 International Toy Pirates takes you on a nostalgic journey to the endless days of youth and summers spent watching Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan battle for world supremacy. Contains features and interviews of the quality we have come to expect from the editors of Super 7.

    If the history of the world had turned out differently from what we know today, men would live according to different sets of values and different aesthetics It would be a civilization completely alien to ours." This first U.S. book on Yokoyama's work combines two of the artist's central themes: fighting and building. One set of graphic stories, "Public Works," details massive structures being erected across a landscape. Plot is pushed aside in favor of sheer formal verve as we watch buildings, about which we know nothing, come into being. The other set of stories, "Combats," is one sequence after another of elegantly choreographed battles. Manga comics have never seen a talent that combines this level of formal ambition with such exquisitely drawn depictions of fashion, art and architecture.

    Each food item is given its own chapter, which includes a detailed discussion of the nutritional and medicinal benefits, how to make it or buy it, cooking with it, and recipes featuring it. This book also features a pronunciation guide, which is great for ordering from restaurants or shops, and a guide to composing meals.

    Asian & Asian American Studies. Translated by Lindsay Turner. Introduction by Sawako Nakayasu. Ryoko Sekiguchi takes the letters Fernando Pessoa wrote his would-be fianc�e Ophelia Queiroz as her subject matter in ADAGIO MA NON TROPPO. ADAGIO's 36 prose blocks--appearing in Japanese, French, and English for the first time in the 2018 Les Figues Press trilingual edition (trans. Lindsay Turner)--echo the 36 letters Pessoa addressed to Queiroz dated from March 1, 1920, until January 11, 1930.Sekiguchi reconceives the Lisbon Pessoa and Queiroz describe in their correspondence as a map over which rendezvous, affairs, and liaisons can be continued through writing. "Written words," she asks, "do they erase themselves? [...] or instead do all words, once read, never disappear?" Sekiguchi superimposes objects over a landscape where names carry shapes, directions, and the places to which they refer. In her Lisbon, a chair slid into daylight or set before a window punctuates time like comma in a sentence. An old couple contemplating ducks indicates a line between two points like a parasol taken from its stand announces a departure. As love establishes boundaries and relationships between people, if our objects convey our love for one another, then Sekiguchi traces the paths and perimeters lovers leave behind.Originally published in a bilingual edition containing Sekiguchi's self-translation into the French (Le bleu du ciel �ditions, 2007), ADAGIO MA NON TROPPO belongs in the same category as the modernist works of Franz Kafka and Pessoa--as well as the recent epistolary work of Marguerite Duras, Roland Barthes, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Maggie Nelson, and Claire-Louise Bennett--writing as a philosophic and aesthetic act that reshapes our notions of time, space, translation, and love.

    It includes the history, development, and unique stylistic characteristics of each area's work, and the traditions that inspired it.

    They are distinguished from other art forms by a philosophy that views human beings as a part of nature. Designers intend to embody the integration and harmony between humans and nature by creating a natural landscape, which elevates their garden designs to the level of an art form. This book introduces the soul of Kyoto, the Japanese garden. Addressing variations through the different types of temple gardens -- gardens of the imperial family and aristocratic households; the urban courtyard and other gardens -- it offers an understanding of the compelling fascination which these gardens with their beauty and philosophical depth inspire.

    I would never let desire overwhelm common sense. I would never sleep with a man who was married to someone else, mime fellatio with a complete stranger on a stage, or take money for sex again. In fact, to cover all bases, I would never have sex again with anyone, man or woman, for the rest of my life. For a sum much smaller than a plane ticket an American woman can travel to a rustic hot-spring inn where anything goes after midnight, don the gorgeous kimono of a Japanese bride, romp in the dungeon rooms of tacky love hotels, act out an orgy straight from manga porn, and slip inside Kyoto’s most exclusive restaurants for exquisite dinners of seduction. The Amorous Woman experiences almost every flavor of erotic pleasure Japan has to offer—and she’s happy to take you along for the ride. Inspired by Ihara Saikaku’s 17th-century satiric novel of the pleasure quarters, this story of an American woman’s love affair with Japan—and many sexy men and women along the way—gives readers a chance to journey to a Japan few tourists ever see.

    And here’s something crazier: a whole book about kanji—where they come from, why they look like they do, how to tell husband from prisoner, where to find kanji in Wales, and how to learn kanji faster. Scattered throughout are nearly one hundred large-type “exhibits” of kanji madness, including puzzles and even kanji sudoku. Crazy for Kanji is visually striking and loads of fun for students and language lovers.Eve Kushner, based in Berkeley, California, is a student of Japanese and an incurable kanji-holic.

    Drawn from two rarely circulated, seldom-seen sketchbooks, these images include scenes from everyday life, rendered with expressive elegance, and episodes from classic folktales, portrayed with warm realism.Best known for his woodblock prints, Hiroshige (1797–1858) recaptured the magic of the Japanese landscape in the course of his travels throughout the country. These sketchbooks date from around 1840, when the artist was at the height of his talent and popularity. Their unique and intimate glimpses of Japan before it opened to the West—of courtesans in traditional costumes, peasants at work, serene landscapes, animals, and episodes from Kabuki drama—offer delightful souvenirs of the late Edo period and form an engaging, accessible introduction to the complex traditions of Japanese art.

    

    This title offers a comparative investigation of this topic across the major Buddhist cultures of India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Tibet and Burma.

    The invasion marks the end of the British Empire and the reversal of all accepted values. The social order which has long been established in Hong Kong begins to disintegrate. The main characters engage on a journey of self discovery as their world falls apart. Their once apparently happy and perfect lives are shown to be shallow, hopeless faades behind which there is nothing but failure, self-denial and cowardice.

    Then lays out various strands of the work while following White's path across Europe, America and Asia, and examines the original methods employed by White in his essay-books, narrative books and poetry.

    Pages: 240 Publisher: 8 BOOKS New Zen is a unique publication aa collection of the most innovative modern Japanese tea ceremony rooms. Or chashitsu. Designed by contemporary architects. Traditionally chashitsu are made up of certain elements a an alcove (tokonoma). with a flower and painted scroll. tatami mats. a sunken heart (ro) and chashitsu windows a never contain furniture and are used for contemplation. In the last fifteen years Japanese architects have been reinterpreting the tea ceremony room. creating modern meditative spaces. The result is that these rooms represent some of the most interesting interior design and architecture in Japan. featuring a vast array of materials. including paper. wood. plastic. metal and concrete. This book is the only one to examine this phenomenon.

    During all that time, their primary goal has been to sustain the poetic enterprise, or michi (way), of the house and to safeguard its literary assets.Steven D. Carter weaves together strands of family history, literary criticism, and historical research into a coherent narrative about the evolution of the Reizei Way. What emerges from this innovative approach is an elegant portrait of the Reizei poets as participants in a collective institution devoted more to the continuity of family poetic practices and ideals than to the concept of individual expression that is so central to more modern poetic culture.In addition to the narrative chapters, the book also features an extensive appendix of one hundred poems from over the centuries, by poets who were affiliated with the Reizei house. Carter's annotations provide essential critical context for this selection of poems, and his deft translations underscore the rich contributions of the Reizei family and their many disciples to the Japanese poetic tradition.

    For two decades, a small but progressive group of visual artists, musicians, dancers, theater performers, and writers variously confronted the fraught legacy of World War II in Japan, which included occupation by a foreign power, growing economic inequality, and the clash between repressive social mores and an increasingly industrialized, urban, and consumer-oriented culture. Art, Anti-Art, Non-Art offers an introduction to this highly charged and innovative era in Japanese artistic practice. Published in conjunction with an exhibition on view at the Getty Research Institute from March 6 to June 3, 2007, this catalogue features objects, books, periodicals, photographs, and other ephemera created by artists associated with Experimental Workshop, Gutai, High Red Centre, Neo Dada, Provoke, Tokyo Fluxus, and VIVO, among others.

    The Park's images not only reveal hidden sexual exploits but also uncover many spectators ardently lurking in the darkness, waiting to join in--and quickly raise issues of voyeurism and surveillance. In The Photobook: A History, Volume II, Martin Parr speaks to the societal relevance of this series, calling it, "A brilliant piece of social documentation, catching perfectly the loneliness, sadness and desperation that so often accompany sexual or human relationships in a big, hard metropolis like Tokyo."As exhibition organizer and editor Yossi Milo writes in his introduction, "With each viewing, I noticed something that had eluded me before: the photos' rigorous compositions...They are provocative photographs, and unsettling as well: one is both chilled and thrilled by Yoshiyuki's boldness, by how close he crept to his unaware subjects, by the hours he spent late at night crouched in bushes and against trees, waiting for his perfect shot." Originally published as Document Kouen in Japan in 1980 and long out of print, the austere and acclaimed first edition of this book now commands prices near $1,000 per copy. This new, updated edition, featuring an interview with the artist by colleague Nobuyoshi Araki and an essay by the noted photo critic Vince Aletti, contains all 60 works from the infamous Park series, reproduced from new scans in deluxe duotones. This work has not been seen by the public since the 1970s and has been known only to cult collectors until now. Exhibited at Yossi Milo Gallery in New York in September of 2007, it was one of the most talked-about offerings of the season.

    Throughout history, Japan's very best designers have devoted themselves to kimono design. KIMONO offers a wide selection of the very best examples of kimono patterns, in various techniques and from various eras.

    It compares attempts by government officials, internees, academics, and activists to control interpretations of internment causes and consequences in congressional hearings, court proceedings, scholarship, popular literature, ethnic community events, monuments, museums, films, and Web sites. Initial accounts celebrated internee loyalty, military patriotism, postwar assimilation, and "model minority" success. Later histories emphasized racist "concentration camps," protests inside the camps, and continued suffering within the community.

    The formal tea ceremony developed in the fifteenth century, and its ritual is closely defined, as is the space for it: traditionally, chashitsus include windows, an alcove (tokonoma) with flowers and painted parchment, bamboo beds (tatami), and a fireplace on the floor (ro); they do not include furniture, in part because they are spaces for meditation. More recently those traditions--as closely associated with the upper class as ""high tea"" is in England and its colonies--have been rediscovered by architects and designers as a perfect match for their contemporary work. The Modern Japanese Tea Room includes projects from renowned Japanese names including Kengo Kuma, Terunobu Fujimori, Shigeru Uchida, Arata Isozaki, Chitoshi Kihara, Yasujirou Aoki and Hisanobu Tsujimura. Their work in a wide variety of materials--paper, wood, plastic, aluminum, glass, concrete--represents the latest and most inspiring in Japanese architecture and interior design, from a tree house in Nagano to a portable space in black lacquer. The Modern Japanese Tea Room opens with an introduction to the history of the tea ceremony, identifying its physical elements and going over to the ceremony itself, and then moves on to more than 35 projects gathered together in 250 of Michael Freeman's powerful color images. A tribute to contemporary Japanese culture and a taste of its future.

    With clear insight and without academic jargon, Jacoby examines the works of over 150 filmmakers to uncover what makes their films worth watching.Included are artistic profiles of everyone from Yutaka Abe to Isao Yukisada, including masters like Kinji Fukasaku, Juzo Itami, Akira Kurosawa, Takashi Miike, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujiro Ozu, and Yoji Yamada. Each entry includes a critical summary and filmography, making this book an essential reference and guide.UK-based Alexander Jacoby is a writer and researcher on Japanese film.

    Wood challenges the received wisdom that Japan's defeat in the Pacific was historically inevitable. He argues instead that it was only when the Japanese military prematurely abandoned its original sound strategic plan--to secure the resources Japan needed and establish a viable defensible perimeter for the Empire--that the Allies were able to regain the initiative and lock Japanese forces into a war of attrition they were not prepared to fight. The book persuasively shows how the Japanese army and navy had both the opportunity and the capability to have fought a different and more successful war in the Pacific that could have influenced the course and outcome of World War II. It is therefore a study both of Japanese defeat and of what was needed to achieve a potential Japanese victory, or at the very least, to avoid total ruin. Wood's argument does not depend on signal individual historical events or dramatic accidents. Instead it examines how familiar events could have become more complicated or problematic under different, but nevertheless historically possible, conditions due to changes in the complex interaction of strategic and operational factors over time. Wood concludes that fighting a different war was well within the capacities of imperial Japan. He underscores the fact that the enormous task of achieving total military victory over Japan would have been even more difficult, perhaps too difficult, if the Japanese had waged a different war and the Allies had not fought as skillfully as they did. If Japan had traveled that alternate military road, the outcome of the Pacific War could have differed significantly from that we know so well--and, perhaps a little too complacently, accept.

    In Teraoka's paintingswhich have evolved from his wry mimicry of Japanese woodblock prints to much larger and complex canvasses reminiscent of Bosch and Brueghelthe political and the personal collide in a riot of sexually frank tableaux. Populated by geishas and goddesses, priests, and politicians, and prominent contemporary figures, these paintings are the spectacular next phase of a wildly inventive career. With essays by renowned art critics who discuss how Teraoka's work inventively marries east and west, sex and religion, Ascending Chaos is a critical overview of this cultural trickster.

    The contributors are Barton J. Bernstein, Richard Frank, Sumio Hatano, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, and David Holloway.

    These works recreate in vivid detail the tales of great heroes and battles of Japanese history, especially from the tenth through sixteenth centuries. The publication is divided into two parts. The first is an Introduction to the genre of musha-e, including a discussion of the evolution of the genre and the various influences that came to play on its development. The second comprises a Catalogue of over 200 full-colour illustrations dating from the mid-seventeenth to twentieth centuries which have been grouped into sixteen subject categories."

    Written in 1902 by Anna Hartshorne, a Western educator and long time resident of Japan, the work provides a unique insider's glimpse at Japanese society as it moved from the traditional Edo period lifestyle towards industrialization. Lively and engaging prose gives life to the urban areas and countryside of Japan from Kyushu to the then wild lands of Hokkaido, exploring lifestyles, customs, culture, and everyday behavior. Regional legends, landmarks (including the tombs of the Tokugawa Shoguns and the Great Buddha of Kamakura), and figures of note (such as "Western Samurai" William Adams and the Christian Hosokawa Gracia) further embellish Hartshorne's first person observations. Period photos also help to illustrate this era of transition in Japan. Hartshorne covers Japanese history from the earliest creation legends in the Kojiki and Nihongi through the Genpei Wars, the Sengoku Jidai, Japan's Three Unifiers, and the chaos of the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration. Also featured in this edition is a foreword by Lian Hearn, bestselling author of the "Tales of the Otori" series. Hearn gives information on Anna Hartshorne's place in history and her impact on early Western images of Japan (including the influential book, "Bushido: The Soul of Japan"). A welcome addition to any Japanophile or historian's bookshelf, "Japan and Her People" will allow the reader to experience the Japan that was. The classic 1902 book written by Anna Hartshorne, "Japan and Her People," has been republished in association with Samurai-archives.com and Culturetype.com (Jetlag press). This new edition includes an introduction by Lian Hearn, author of the Tales of the Otori series.

    This text follows the historical development of this system, known as the danka system.

    Their lived responses to this idea of impermanence have been various and even contradictory. Asceticism, fatalism, conformism. Hedonism, materialism, careerism. What this array of responses have in common are, first, a grounding in hakanasa, and, second, an emphasis on formality. Evanescence and Etiquette attempts to illuminate for the first time the ties between an epistemology of constant change and Japan's formal emphasis on etiquette and visuality.

    'The Braider's Bible' features more than 200 beautiful braids with photographs and clear colour charts.

    This monograph covers handling of glass, wood, and stone in works as diverse as private residences, Buddhist temples, and art museums.

    Saint Kōbō Daishi (also known as Kūkai), founder of the esoteric Shingon school and one of the great figures of world Buddhism, consecrated the mountain for holy purposes in the early 800s. Buried on Kōyasan, Kōbō Daishi is said to be still alive, selflessly advocating for the salvation of all sentient beings.Located south of Osaka, Kōyasan has attracted visitors from every station of Japanese life, and in recent years, more than a million tourists and pilgrims visit annually. In Sacred Kōyasan, the first book-length study in English of this holy Buddhist mountain, Philip L. Nicoloff invites readers to accompany him on a pilgrimage. Together with the author, the pilgrim-reader ascends the mountain, stays at a temple monastery, and explores Kōyasan's main buildings, sacred statues, and famous forest cemetery. Author and reader participate in the full annual cycle of rituals and ceremonies, and explore the life and legend of Kōbō Daishi and the history of the mountain.Written for both the scholarly and general reader, Sacred Kōyasan will appeal to potential travelers, dedicated armchair travelers, and all readers interested in Buddhism and Japanese culture.

    A bookshop that brings joy to any booklover's heart. What if there's also both a kind, knowledgeable guy who wears glasses and the cool prince of glasses there?

    Fucking mind-blowing shit. Plus, he’ll feel you up!Buy now and begin reading a hilarious parody of journeys of self-discovery.Fake Praise for Memoirs of a Douchebag:“Transcendent…a whiff of paradise…with a hint of urine” – The Washington Post Book World“I laughed so hard I beat my wife!” – Ike Turner“Fans of Tuesdays with Morrie will be delighted with this novel. Or they might not like it all. To be honest, they’re a tough group to get a read on.” – The Minneapolis Star and TribuneWARNING: This book contains juvenile humor for adults. But if you’ve read this far, you probably already knew that. I apologize for shouting at you.

    

    As teaching, Zen art can be profound, perplexing, serious, humorous—sometimes all within the same piece; as art, it stands somewhere outside standard aesthetic conventions, even those of other schools of Buddhist art. It is most often identified with the expressive medium of calligraphy or brush painting, but whatever the mood or medium, each work is the tangible record of an unrepeatable moment in the artist’s mind, an expression on paper of his or her understanding of the nature of things.The Zen Art Box contains forty images of brush painting and calligraphy, each beautifully reproduced in fine quality on a 6 1/2" x 9" card that you can display on the enclosed folding easel stand. The back of each card includes an explanation of the art by Stephen Addiss along with commentary from John Daido Loori on the Zen wisdom contained in it. Also included is a 32-page color-illustrated booklet with essays on Zen art by both the authors.

    He also assesses the effect of Japan on writers from Jonathan Swift to Oscar Wilde, Shirley MacLaine and Paul Theroux with surprising results.The trading entity that wraps its tentacles around the globe, converses in most languages and understands most customs, is perceptive and urbane and none appears more capable or cosmopolitan. Yet the individuals who inhabit these islands take refuge in their language as a private habitat, resent intrusions, and are captured by a cultural particularism that distances them from others. The author discusses this paradox, as well as environmental and linguistic issues and topics of history and literature. Along the way, he lifts a veil on the life of a snow country geisha, discusses current events with a priest and a reporter, and takes advice on becoming a Japanese. Though he is understood, it is only on return visits to places he has come to love that he wins acceptance.Notes on music delightfully enrich the narrative.

    In particular, her research into the notions of self and self-other relationships, issues of gender and women and motherhood has provided a new paradigm in the way these issues are now addressed.

    Examination of such questions of functionality contributes to a broader view of Buddhist practice at a time when Buddhism was rapidly spreading among many levels of Japanese society. This book focuses particularly on the function of the following types of images: "secret Buddhas" (hibutsu), which are rarely if ever displayed; Buddhas who exchange bodies with sufferers (migawari butsu); and masks of bodhisattvas used in a ritual called mukaeko. Primary sources for these topics include collections of popular tales (setsuwa), poetry, ritual texts, and temple histories (engi).

    While woodblock prints of the floating world have long been a favorite of art lovers, the remarkable ink-and-dye paintings of the period are far less known and much less available. This volume collects key examples by some of Japan's most important artists, each conveying a singular and very moving freedom of expression. Here, we find wistful interiors of courtesans at rest, onstage panoramas of actors in their finery, explicitly erotic scenes of lovemaking and outrageous fantasies. Essays by renowned American and Japanese scholars, including Howard Hibbett and Masato Naito, set the context with discussions of Edo society and culture, the ways in which high and low arts mixed in ukiyo-e painting, and the prominent roles played by courtesans, geishas and male prostitutes in the subculture of the period. This is a milieu of passion and mystery, color and flamboyance, boldly rendered in these uncommonly exotic masterworks. Published to accompany the first major American exhibition of ukiyo-e paintings in recent years, hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

    The essays collected in this timely volume are the product of these scholars’ research on this historical problem. Delving deeply into the nature of the occupation, the authors examine local variations in the role of the Japanese in local politics, economics, and society, in such diverse localities as Manchuria, Mongolia, Shanghai, Jiangxi, and Yunnan, where the wartime experience has been little studied.Contributors include: Timothy Brook, John Dower, Kubo Toru, Chang Jui-te, Shao Minghuang, Tsukase Susumu, Xie Xueshi, Lu Minghui, Odoric Y. K. Wou, Ju Zhifen, Zhuang Jianping, Wei Hongyun, Frederic Wakeman, Jr., and Peter Merker.

    This elegant book discusses these fields as they combined to encompass the evocative practice of figure painting within Zen Buddhism in medieval Japan.Focusing on forty-seven exceptional Japanese and Chinese paintings from the 12th to the 16th centuries––which together illustrate the story of the “awakening” of Zen art––the book features essays by distinguished scholars that discuss the life and art within Zen monastic and lay communities. The authors explore the ideology underlying the development of Zen’s own pantheon of characters created to imagine the Buddha’s wisdom and offer fresh insights into the role of the visual arts within Zen practice as it developed in Japan in close dialogue with the Asian continent.

    Originally used by Japanese farmers to quilt together several layers of fabric for warmth and durability, sashiko patterns are increasingly being adapted as decorative elements in contemporary designs and needlecraft projects. Sashiko Style presents 70 different patterns of three types: linear, curvy and single-stitch ("hitome zashi") patterns. Full-color photos showcase the many different ways in which the patterns can be used to make beautiful and useful items such as napkins, tablecloths, placemats and runners; tote bags; pillows; curtains and wall hangings. The book introduces basic skills that even beginners can master and includes detailed equipment lists with photos, as well as step-by-step instructions for pattern drafting. A special feature of Sashiko Style is the handy, pullout pattern template insert.

    Watch Buster come alive in this delightfully illustrated book describing his life, passing, and ultimate immortality. As Rabbett makes clear in his enlightening and uplifting first book, even death cannot break the bonds between a dog and his beloved master. "It is said that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, which makes me believe that somewhere within the universe Buster's energy still exists, as does the energy of all our departed loved ones," writes Rabbett in his author's note. "I choose to feel Buster in my heart, alive and spirited within me. May this little story lighten the burden of sadness when loss is at hand and turn a heavy heart to glad by nurturing the good memories that live within us."

    Included are color-coded diagrams of all thirteen Tokyo subway lines; information on ticketing, tourist fares, and commuter passes; a landmark finder; an exit finder; and full-color maps that include national railway, Yokohama, and airport connections. Also included are useful words and phrases, a guide to signs, and where to go for help. Concise and thoroughly up to date, this is the one book readers will want for getting around.

    Launched in 1911 as a venue for women’s literary expression and replete with poetry, essays, plays, and stories, Seitô soon earned the disapproval of civic leaders, educators, and even prominent women’s rights advocates. Journalists joined these leaders in ridiculing the Bluestockings as self-indulgent, literature-loving, sake-drinking, cigarette-smoking tarts who toyed with men. Yet many young women and men delighted in the Bluestockings’ rebellious stance and paid serious attention to their exploration of the Woman Question, their calls for women’s independence, and their debates on women’s work, sexuality, and identity. Hundreds read the journal and many women felt inspired to contribute their own essays and stories. The seventeen Seitô pieces collected here represent some of the journal’s most controversial writing; four of these publications provoked either a strong reprimand or an outright ban on an entire issue by government censors. All consider topics important in debates on feminism to this day such as sexual harassment, abortion, romantic love and sexuality, motherhood, and the meaning of gender equality. The Bluestockings of Japan shows that as much as these writers longed to be New Women immersed in the world of art and philosophy, they were also real women who had to negotiate careers, motherhood, romantic relationships, and an unexpected notoriety. Their stories, essays, and poetry document that journey, highlighting the diversity among these New Women and displaying the vitality of feminist thinking in Japan in the 1910s

    Im so excited, and a little anxious - I've never been there before. The idea of Hawaii has been stuck in my mind for many, many years, just as the idea of a place. I try to imagine what its like, and I have a certain image of it - a nostalgic place, a place where time has stopped. When I get there, I'll probably find out its nothing like that...." - Daido MoriyamaBorn in 1938, Daido Moriyama is widely recognized as one of Japans most important and influential postwar photographers. His powerful, edgy black-and-white photographs have been the subject of dozens of books, which have themselves had an enormous impact on the world of photography. The above quote, from an interview for Photo-Eye in Spring 2004, was made shortly before Moriyama embarked on his first trip to Hawaii. Three years and five trips later, Daido Moriyama has created a book of photographs of what he did find in Hawaii. This U.S. edition of Hawaii is limited to 500 signed and numbered copies.

    The poems describe not just seasonal changes and the vagaries of love - which form the thematic core of traditional Japanese poetry - but also the devastations of war, childbirth, conflicts between child-rearing and work, experiences as refugees, experiences as non-Japanese residents in Japan, and more.Sections of poetry open with headnotes, and the editor has provided explanations of terms and references for those unfamiliar with the Japanese language. Other useful tools include a glossary of poetic terms, a chronology, and a bibliography that points the reader toward other works by and about these poets. There is no comparable collection available in English.Students and anyone who appreciates poetry and Japanese culture will treasure this magnificent anthology. Editor and translator Hiroaki Sato is a past winner of the PEN America translator prize and the Japan-United States Friendship Commission's 1999 literary translation award.

    The sense of “family” has changed in modern Japan, but the crests’ high-contrast motifs and simple geometries are right at home in our logo-emblazoned age, even as the designs express old cultural interests and ideals: cherry blossoms, well buckets, floating clouds. This book contains over 850 family crests (kamon) with descriptions, cultural backgrounds, and a selection of photographs showing how crests are used on banners, signs, and buildings. Of special interest to graphic designers, quilt-makers, and illustrators.

    With the publication of The Fine Art of Kimono Embroidery, readers in the West will come to know and appreciate her work for its great beauty and grace. Kusano's canvases are kimono, obi (the sash used to tie the kimono) and tapestries, on which she creates extraordinary compositions in brilliant color and subtle tones, with a rich contrast in textures. Her themes are drawn from Japanese poetry, literature and art, and feature such seasonal motifs as trees, flowers, birds, and streams, designs which are uniquely Japanese in sensibility and expression. Working exclusively with silk threads and fabric, and delicately balancing the use of space in her composition, Kusano's designs achieve the sophistication for which the best Japanese art is known.Selected works are shown here in full color with explanatory captions, while a separate section covers the primary techniques used on each piece. In addition, Kusano writes about how she developed her art, providing commentary on her themes and sources of inspiration. She also includes an essay on the history of embroidery in Japan from the time it was introduced into the country from China in the sixth century up to the present.

    This easy-to-read new book introduces children to the diverse continent of Asia--the largest continent on Earth! Full-color photographs and detailed maps highlight Asia's major regions, bodies of water, landforms, forests, steppes, and deserts.

    In a celebration of the patterns and motifs adorning the traditional costume, 30 ready-to-color illustrations present kimono-clad figures awash in cherry blossoms, bamboo, stately birds, flowing streams, and wandering abstracts.

    By situating Meiji Japan firmly within the Victorian world, David Wittner demonstrates that Japanese officials believed in a civilizational hierarchy based on technological superiority, and that officials selected and rejected industrial technologies because of the cultural symbolism of technological artefacts. Taking the story to the dawn of the first Sino-Japanese War, he argues that shifting national priorities and a growing international self-confidence changed the direction of industrial modernization. As a cultural history of technology, this book serves as a corrective to several common assumptions posited by developmental economic theorists regarding nineteenth century Japanese industrialization. Technology and the Culture of Progress in Meiji Japan will appeal to students and scholars of Japanese history, industrial development, economic development, cultural studies, and the history of technology.

    His kitchen distinguishes itself from an 'ordinary' Japanese sushi kitchen through its originality and authenticity. The Kaiseki cuisine is based on a hundred years old tradition and has a lot of symbolism and rituals. Twenty-two delicious recipes from the book Kaiseki Cuisine (or the Japanese haute cuisine) were photographed and explained step by step. Beginning as well as experienced cooks will find something to their liking in these gems of Japanese food art.The Yamazato chefs are generous in giving tips and straightforward information about ingredients, kitchen tools, the menu, garnishing and the presentation of these culinary tours de force . A choice of alternatives for less accessible ingredients make sure that every amateur cook can cook Kaiseki style. Also available: Yamazato: Kaiseki Cusine ISBN 9789058561114

    How did people live on a day-to-day basis with the cruelty and horror of war right outside their doorsteps? What were the reactions and views of those who did not fight on the fields? How did people come together to cope with the losses of loved ones and the sacrifices they had to make on a daily basis? This volume contains accounts from the resilient civilians who lived in Asia during the Taiping and Nian Rebellions, the Philippine Revolution, the Wars of Meiji Japan, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.This volume begins with R.G. Tiedemann's account of life in China in the mid-nineteenth century, during the Taiping and Nian Rebellions. Tiedemann examines social practices imposed on the civilians by the Taiping, life in the cities and country, women, and the militarization of society. Bernardita Reyes Churchill examines how civilians in the Philippines struggled for freedom under the imperial reign Spain and the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. Stewart Lone looks at how Meiji Japan's wars on the Asian continent affected the lives and routines of men, women, and children, urban and rural. He also explains how the media played a role during the wars, as well as how people were able to spend leisure time and even make wartime humor. Di Wang uses the public space of the teahouse and its culture as a microcosm of daily life in China during tumultuous years of civil and world war, 1937-1949. Simon Partner explores Japanese daily life during World War II, investigating youth culture, the ways people came together, and how the government took control of their lives by rationing food, clothing, and other resources. Shigeru Sato continues by examining the harshness of life in Indonesia during World War II and its aftermath. Korean life from 1950-1953 is looked at by Andrei Lankov, who takes a look at the heart-rending lives of refugees. Finally, Lone surveys life in South Vietnam from 1965-1975, from school children to youth protests to how propaganda affected civilians. This volume offers students and general readers a glimpse into the lives of those often forgotten.

    In images showing courtesans, geisha, housewives, and others, Utamaro made the practice of distinguishing social types into a connoisseurial art. In 1804, at the height of his success, Utamaro, along with several colleagues, was manacled and put under house arrest for fifty days for making prints of the military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi enjoying the pleasures of the floating world. The event put into stark relief the challenge that popular representation posed to political authority and, according to some sources, may have precipitated Utamaro's sudden decline.In this book Julie Nelson Davis makes a close study of selected print sets, and by drawing on a wide range of period sources reinterprets Utamaro in the context of his times. Reconstructing the place of the ukiyo-e artist within the world of the commercial print market, she demonstrates how Utamaro's images participated in the economies of entertainment and desire in the city of Edo (modern-day Tokyo).Offering a new approach to issues of the status of the artist and the construction of identity, gender, sexuality, and celebrity in the Edo period, Utamaro and the Spectacle of Beauty is a significant contribution to the field and a key work for readers interested in Japanese art and culture.

    The Nanking Atrocity of winter 1937-8, also known as the Nanking Massacre, lies at the core of bitter disputes over history, wartime victimization, and postwar restitution that preclude amicable Sino-Japanese relations to this day. This volume, which is both history and historiography, offers the most recent scholarship about what actually happened in Nanking and places those findings in the context of how Chinese and Japanese writers have attributed mutually incompatible meanings to the event ever since; an event that is coined, on the Chinese side, as the forgotten Holocaust, after the subtitle of Iris' Chang's 1997 bestseller, The Rape of Nanking, uncritically adopted by Western public opinion, a gross distortion according to the contributors of this volume. However, the authors also deflate Japanese exculpatory narratives which, serving their own ideological agendas, holds that Nanking was a combat operation against unlawful belligerents, which produced only a few dozen innocent victims. This volume presents new facts and fresh interpretations with the overriding aim to complicate the picture and to debunk myths, expose fallacies, and rectify misconceptions that obstruct a clear understanding of the issues and prevent ultimate reconciliation between China and Japan.

    The Japanese themselves felt threatened by Western powers, with their sense of superiority and military might. Yet, the Japanese were more prepared to meet this challenge than was thought at the time, and they used a variety of strategies to address the tension between modernity and tradition. Inexorable Modernity illuminates our understanding of how Japan has dealt with modernity and of what mechanisms, universal and local, we can attribute to the mode of negotiation between tradition and modernity in three major forms of art-theater, the visual arts, and literature. Dr. Hiroshi Nara brings together a thoughtful collection of essays that demonstrate that traditional and modern approaches to life feed off of one other, and tradition, whether real or created, was sought out in order to find a way to live with the burden of modernity. Inexorable Modernity is a valuable and enlightening read for those interested in Asian studies and history.

    Japan, the reigning economic giant of East Asia, and Vietnam, an industrializing socialist country, have strong historical connections dating back to a Japanese merchant community that flourished in fourteenth-century Hoi An.

     For this book, Shu Hagiwara has selected forty Japanese-designed products that have had a profound impact on the post-World War II period, and looks at the original ideas that sparked the creation of these products. What were the engineers thinking when they designed the Honda Super Cub--what many consider to be the best motorcycle of all time? What flight of imagination led to Sori Yanagi's spectacular Butterfly Stool, which now is part of New York's MOMA collection? What traditional craft inspired Isamu Noguchi's lantern, Akari? From Hagiwara's text, we learn much about these elegant, witty and beautiful designs, as well as the process from inception to product. The stunning photographs of the celebrated Masashi Kuma give further expression to these ideas. Forty products--some familiar, some not. Forty ideas--some contemporary, some traditional. Forty designs--all intriguing, all inspirational, all a fascinating part of contemporary life in Japan.

    It is an invaluable study of a landmark masterpiece that profoundly influenced the development of ehon, or art books, which recorded Japanese life, culture, and geography for hundreds of years. A great master of the Japanese art-book tradition, Bosai eloquently discusses man's interaction with the environment. His work depicts small figures lost in the mist and forests of immense foothills, seeking nourishment for body and spirit. His work instills in the viewer a sense of nature's immense power and our comparative frailty, while still conveying the peaceful mood of the rural locales that he so lovingly immortalizes. Each image, in its serenity, completely captivates the viewer, and draws us into Bosai's world. One secret of the appeal of ehon is that their artists see with such imagination and clarity, draw with such verve, and embrace any subject, however humble or imperfect, explains Roger S. Keyes, curator of a New York ehon exhibition, who declares that these books seize and hold a reader's attention, that they provide revelation and inspiration and turn willing readers into artists. They empower people. This certainly holds true in Mountains of the Heart, With comprehensive introduction and commentary by Stephen Addiss, this book will inspire anyone interested in the rich history of Japanese art. 22 color spreads, 22 black and white illustrations.