Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan

by Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere

Published to accompany an exhibition at the British Museum, this important book presents a selection of the most beautiful and significant art crafts to have been produced in Japan over the last fifty years.

Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan

Author: Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere

Publisher:

ISBN:

Page: 208

View: 667

Published to accompany an exhibition at the British Museum, this important book presents a selection of the most beautiful and significant art crafts to have been produced in Japan over the last fifty years. Fine porcelains with exquisite designs, fabulous kimonos, lacquer boxes with mother-of pearl inlay a hammered-silver vase, a box made from striped ebony wood, delicate dolls and crystal-glass - these are but a few of the exceptional pieces illustrated. They are also among the finest works submitted to the annual Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition since its inauguration in 1954 - an open, competitive exhibition that is a major showcase for modern crafts.

Reading Asian Art and Artifacts

by Paul Kocot Nietupski

On craft makers designated as Living National Treasures and others, see Nicole
Rousmaniere, ed., Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan: Celebrating Fifty Years of
the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition (Seattle: University of Washington ...

Reading Asian Art and Artifacts

Author: Paul Kocot Nietupski

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

ISBN: 1611460700

Page: 200

View: 232

Asian art and material artifacts are expressive of cultural realities and constitute a "visible language" with messages that can be read, interpreted, and analyzed. These essays by scholars of Asian art, philosophy, anthropology, and religion focus on objects held in ASIANetwork schools. The chapters' authors tell the stories of the collections, and the collections themselves tell stories of the collectors.

Ceramics and Modernity in Japan

by Meghen Jones

Kōgei to nashoanarizumu no kindai: “Nihon-tekina mono” no sōshutsu [The
modernity of craft and nationalism: the creation of ... Crafting Beauty in Modern
Japan: Celebrating Fifty Years of the Exhibition of Japanese Art Crafts. Seattle: ...

Ceramics and Modernity in Japan

Author: Meghen Jones

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 0429631995

Page: 230

View: 837

Ceramics and Modernity in Japan offers a set of critical perspectives on the creation, patronage, circulation, and preservation of ceramics during Japan’s most dramatic period of modernization, the 1860s to 1960s. As in other parts of the world, ceramics in modern Japan developed along the three ontological trajectories of art, craft, and design. Yet, it is widely believed that no other modern nation was engaged with ceramics as much as Japan—a "potter’s paradise"—in terms of creation, exhibition, and discourse. This book explores how Japanese ceramics came to achieve such a status and why they were such significant forms of cultural production. Its medium-specific focus encourages examination of issues regarding materials and practices unique to ceramics, including their distinct role throughout Japanese cultural history. Going beyond descriptive historical treatments of ceramics as the products of individuals or particular styles, the closely intertwined chapters also probe the relationship between ceramics and modernity, including the ways in which ceramics in Japan were related to their counterparts in Asia and Europe. Featuring contributions by leading international specialists, this book will be useful to students and scholars of art history, design, and Japanese studies.

Japanese Design

by Patricia Graham

11 Uchiyama Takao, “The Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition: Its History and
Spirit,” in Nicole Rousmaniere (ed.), Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan:
Celebrating Fifty Years of the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, Seattle:
University of ...

Japanese Design

Author: Patricia Graham

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

ISBN: 1462916090

Page: 160

View: 905

**Winner, Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title 2015** This Japanese design book presents the arts, aesthetics and culture of Japan with over 160 stunning color photos and extensive historical and cultural commentary . The Japanese sensibility often possesses an intuitive, emotional appeal, whether it's a silk kimono, a carefully raked garden path, an architectural marvel, a teapot, or a contemporary work of art. This allure has come to permeate the entire culture of Japan—it is manifest in the most mundane utensil and snack food packaging, as well as in Japanese architecture and fine art. In Japanese Design, Asian art expert and author Patricia J. Graham explains how Japanese aesthetics based in fine craftsmanship and simplicity developed. Her unusual, full-color presentation reveals this design aesthetic in an absorbing way. Focusing on ten elements of Japanese design, Graham explores how visual qualities, the cultural parameters and the Japanese religious traditions of Buddhism and Shinto have impacted the appearance of its arts. Japanese Design is a handbook for the millions of us who have felt the special allure of Japanese art, culture and crafts. Art and design fans and professionals have been clamoring for this—a book that fills the need for an intelligent, culture-rich overview of what Japanese design is and means. Topics explored in Japanese Design include: The Aesthetics of Japanese Design The Cultural Parameters of Japanese Design Early Promoters of "Artistic Japan" 1830s-1950s

Kimono

by Terry Satsuki Milhaupt

26 Satō Dōshin, Modern Japanese Art and the Meiji State: The Politics of Beauty,
trans. ... of “Traditional Art Crafts” in Japan', in Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan:
Celebrating FiftyYearsof the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, ed.

Kimono

Author: Terry Satsuki Milhaupt

Publisher: Reaktion Books

ISBN: 1780233175

Page: 272

View: 804

What is the kimono? Everyday garment? Art object? Symbol of Japan? As this book shows, the kimono has served all of these roles, its meaning changing across time and with the perspective of the wearer or viewer. Kimono: A Modern History begins by exposing the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century foundations of the modern kimono fashion industry. It explores the crossover between ‘art’ and ‘fashion’ in this period at the hands of famous Japanese painters who worked with clothing pattern books and painted directly onto garments. With Japan’s exposure to Western fashion in the nineteenth century, and Westerners’ exposure to Japanese modes of dress and design, the kimono took on new associations and came to symbolize an exotic culture and an alluring female form. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the kimono industry was sustained through government support. The line between fashion and art became blurred as kimonos produced by famous designers were collected for their beauty and displayed in museums, rather than being worn as clothing. Today, the kimono has once again taken on new dimensions, as the Internet and social media proliferate images of the kimono as a versatile garment to be integrated into a range of individual styles. Kimono: A Modern History, the inspiration for a major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York,not only tells the story of a distinctive garment’s ever-changing functions and image, but provides a novel perspective on Japan’s modernization and encounter with the West.

Feminism and Folk Art

by Eli Bartra

Case Studies in Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, and Brazil Eli Bartra ... Sôetsu
Yanagi, Folk Crafts in Japan, p. ... In the book compiled by Nicole Rousmaniere,
Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan, lacquers are discussed, but there is no
mention at ...

Feminism and Folk Art

Author: Eli Bartra

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

ISBN: 1498564348

Page: 152

View: 416

This book uses a feminist approach to analyzing gender relations in the production and distribution of folk art in four different cultures. It examines examples of women’s creativity within male-dominated societies and offers an analysis of different art forms, including clay figures, baskets, lacquer work, and dolls.

The Beauty of Everyday Things

by Soetsu Yanagi

They should, in short, be things of beauty. In an age of feeble and ugly machine-made things, these essays call for us to deepen and transform our relationship with the objects that surround us.

The Beauty of Everyday Things

Author: Soetsu Yanagi

Publisher: Penguin UK

ISBN: 0241366364

Page: 320

View: 244

The daily lives of ordinary people are replete with objects, common things used in commonplace settings. These objects are our constant companions in life. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe - the aesthetic result of wholeheartedly fulfilling utilitarian needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty. In an age of feeble and ugly machine-made things, these essays call for us to deepen and transform our relationship with the objects that surround us. Inspired by the work of the simple, humble craftsmen Yanagi encountered during his lifelong travels through Japan and Korea, they are an earnest defence of modest, honest, handcrafted things - from traditional teacups to jars to cloth and paper. Objects like these exemplify the enduring appeal of simplicity and function: the beauty of everyday things.

Japanese Modernisation and Mingei Theory

by 有子·菊地

Mingei theory is arguably the first most influential modern craft/design theory in
Japan and the movement evolved in the 1920s ... (folkcrafts) theory presented his
absolute 'criterion of beauty' (bi no hyo'jun), and highlights the supreme beauty of
 ...

Japanese Modernisation and Mingei Theory

Author: 有子·菊地

Publisher: Psychology Press

ISBN: 0415297907

Page: 309

View: 156

Conceptualized in 1920s Japan by Yanagi Sôetsu, the Mingei movement has spread world-wide since the 1950s, creating phenomena as diverse as Mingei museums, Mingei connoisseurs and collectors, Mingei shops and Mingei restaurants. The theory, at its core and its adaptation by Bernard Leach, has long been an influential 'Oriental' aesthetic for studio craft artists in the West. But why did Mingei become so particularly influential to a western audience? And could the 'Orientalness' perceived in Mingei theory be nothing more than a myth? Tracing the chronological development of Mingei theory from its beginnings in the 1910s to the end of the 20th century, Kikuchi deconstructs the Oriental 'myth' of Mingei by highlighting the complicit relationship between Japanese cultural nationalism and modern western Orientalism. Instead, she replaces the myth with an alternative perspective that focuses on the hybrid nature of the movement, from the formation of the theory on the basis of 'hybrid' modern ideas to its establishment in national, colonial and international discourses. This richly illustrated work offers controversial new evidence through its cross-cultural examination of a wide range of materials in Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese, bringing about startling new conclusions concerning Japanese modernization and cultural authenticity. This new interpretation of the Mingei movement will appeal to scholars of Japanese art history as well as those with interests in cultural identity in non-Western cultures.

The Craft of the Japanese Sword

by Leon Kapp

From raw steel to tempered blade, this text presents a visual account of thencient craft of swordmaking as practiced in modern Japan.

The Craft of the Japanese Sword

Author: Leon Kapp

Publisher: Kodansha International

ISBN: 9780870117985

Page: 167

View: 601

From raw steel to tempered blade, this text presents a visual account of thencient craft of swordmaking as practiced in modern Japan.

Asian Beauty Secrets Ancient and Modern Tips from the Far East

by

Beauty. Defined. in. Japan? Japan has a long history of appreciating
beauty3from the geisha culture to traditional crafts. Their spa culture is thousands
of years old, and traditional ingredients such as volcanic mud, wakame seaweed,
rice bran, ...

Asian Beauty Secrets Ancient and Modern Tips from the Far East

Author:

Publisher: Bush Street Press

ISBN: 1937445011

Page:

View: 795

Kingdom of Beauty

by Kim Brandt

Kim Brandt's analysis is sharp, her organization supple, her writing graceful. Moreover, her synthesis of the imperial with the domestic--and of the ideological with the material--makes the book a model of cultural history.

Kingdom of Beauty

Author: Kim Brandt

Publisher: Duke University Press

ISBN: 9780822340003

Page: 306

View: 107

A Study of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University Kingdom of Beauty shows that the discovery of mingei (folk art) by Japanese intellectuals in the 1920s and 1930s was central to the complex process by which Japan became both a modern nation and an imperial world power. Kim Brandt’s account of the mingei movement locates its origins in colonial Korea, where middle-class Japanese artists and collectors discovered that imperialism offered them special opportunities to amass art objects and gain social, cultural, and even political influence. Later, mingei enthusiasts worked with (and against) other groups—such as state officials, fascist ideologues, rival folk art organizations, local artisans, newspaper and magazine editors, and department store managers—to promote their own vision of beautiful prosperity for Japan, Asia, and indeed the world. In tracing the history of mingei activism, Brandt considers not only Yanagi Muneyoshi, Hamada Shōji, Kawai Kanjirō, and other well-known leaders of the folk art movement but also the often overlooked networks of provincial intellectuals, craftspeople, marketers, and shoppers who were just as important to its success. The result of their collective efforts, she makes clear, was the transformation of a once-obscure category of pre-industrial rural artifacts into an icon of modern national style.

Elements of Japanese Design

by Boye Lafayette De Mente

... the Japanese have traditionally used to describe the special quality of beauty
they aim for in their arts and crafts and in ... In modern Japan, virtually all of
Japan's consumer product designs incorporate an element of yugen that makes
them ...

Elements of Japanese Design

Author: Boye Lafayette De Mente

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

ISBN: 1462900682

Page: 160

View: 570

Learn the elements of the timeless beauty that is Japanese design in this concise reference volume. Japanese design is known throughout the world for its beauty, its simplicity, and its blending of traditional and contemporary effects. This succinct guide describes the influence and importance of 65 key elements that make up Japanese design, detailing their origins—and their impact on fields ranging from architecture and interior design to consumer products and high fashion. Learn, for example, how the wabi sabi style that's so popular today developed from the lifestyle choices made by monks a thousand years ago. And how unexpected influences—like tatami (straw mats) or seijaku (silence)—have contributed to contemporary Japanese design. Elements of Japanese Design offers new insights into the historical and cultural developments at the root of this now international aesthetic movement. From wa (harmony) to kaizen (continuous improvement), from mushin (the empty mind) to mujo (incompleteness), you'll discover how these elements have combined and evolved into a powerful design paradigm that has changed the way the world looks, thinks and acts. Chapters include: Washi, Paper with Character Ikebana, Growing Flowers in a Vase Bukkyo, The Impact of Buddhism Shibui, Eliminating the Unessential Kawaii, The Incredibly "Cute" Syndrome Katana, Swords with Spirit

The Kimono Inspiration

by Textile Museum (Washington, D.C.)

Modern, industrial Japan, like industrial countries everywhere, must cope with the
look of industrialization and its ... one encounters evidence of Japan's traditional
concern for having beautiful things at hand: wonderfully crafted little ha.'bi-oki ...

The Kimono Inspiration

Author: Textile Museum (Washington, D.C.)

Publisher: Pomegranate

ISBN: 0876545983

Page: 208

View: 292

The book explores the use and meaning of the kimono in America and traces the transformation of the garment from its ethnic origins, through its many appearances in fine art, costume, and high fashion, to its role in the contemporary Art-to-Wear Movement. It explores the American use of the kimono as a garment, as a symbol, and as an art form.

Crafting Selves

by Dorinne K. Kondo

"The ethnography of Japan is currently being reshaped by a new generation of Japanologists, and the present work certainly deserves a place in this body of literature.

Crafting Selves

Author: Dorinne K. Kondo

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

ISBN: 022609815X

Page: 354

View: 784

"The ethnography of Japan is currently being reshaped by a new generation of Japanologists, and the present work certainly deserves a place in this body of literature. . . . The combination of utility with beauty makes Kondo's book required reading, for those with an interest not only in Japan but also in reflexive anthropology, women's studies, field methods, the anthropology of work, social psychology, Asian Americans, and even modern literature."—Paul H. Noguchi, American Anthropologist "Kondo's work is significant because she goes beyond disharmony, insisting on complexity. Kondo shows that inequalities are not simply oppressive-they are meaningful ways to establish identities."—Nancy Rosenberger, Journal of Asian Studies

The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing

by Setsuo Takaiwa

The book illustrates the methods, materials and tools used for this process. But its true aim is to enable the reader to fully appreciate the beauty of a well-crafted Japanese sword.

The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing

Author: Setsuo Takaiwa

Publisher: Planeta Publishing

ISBN: 9784770024947

Page: 191

View: 988

To understand Japanese sword polishing is to understand the Japanese sword. Down through the years, the great sword connoisseurs in Japan have been sword polishers. A swordsmith can spend a large amount of time forging a classic sword, but refining and bringing out its final shape, color and texture so that all the details of the steel and hamon (the temper line) are clearly visible is the responsibility of another craftsman - the sword polisher. An experienced polisher can tell immediately by whom a blade was made, so discintctive is each smith's work and so vital is such knowledge to the skilled polisher.The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing is the first book in English to examine in great detail the polisher's techniques - skills it often takes up to ten years of apprenticeship to master. The book illustrates the methods, materials and tools used for this process. But its true aim is to enable the reader to fully appreciate the beauty of a well-crafted Japanese sword. As readers learn both how the sword polisher enhances the beauty of the blade and how he handles the problems of coaxing out its finest qualities through his polishing techniques, they will come to a deeper understanding of the fine art of making the Japanese sword and will be able to view, purchase or collect swords with greater pleasure.

Asian Treasures

by Andrew Gosling

Beauty. ofJapanese. Folk. Arts. Kōgei, 1931–1951 Monumental Collection of
Handmade Japanese Paper ... Yanagi reacted against the ugliness and mass
production of modern industrial society and advocated a return to craft guilds.

Asian Treasures

Author: Andrew Gosling

Publisher: National Library Australia

ISBN: 0642277222

Page: 120

View: 652

Asian Treasures: Gems of the Written Word showcases Asian writing, printing and books of beauty and historical significance that are housed in the National Library of Australia. Written by Andrew Gosling, former chief librarian for the Library's Asian Collections, Asian Treasures provides a fascinating glimpse into the remarkable pieces - old and modern - that the Library has acquired from the Asian region.

Japan

by C. W. Nikoru

Original photographs and insightful commentary introduce Japan's natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. These classic images only hint at the story of the seasons in Japan.

Japan

Author: C. W. Nikoru

Publisher: Kodansha International

ISBN: 9784770020888

Page: 296

View: 458

Original photographs and insightful commentary introduce Japan's natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. These classic images only hint at the story of the seasons in Japan. Nature is not just admired; it is incorporated into every aspect of life, from festivals and the fine arts to the design of homes and the arrangement of seasonal delicacies at the table. The splendors of the landscape have shaped the ancient culture and ongoing traditions of modern Japan. Here, gathered in one opulent volume, are more than two hundred and fifty full-color photographs carefully culled

Japanese Women and Sport

by Robin Kietlinski

Kondo, Dorinne. Crafting Selves: Power, Gender, and Discourses of Identity in a
Japanese Workplace. ... Feminism in Modern Japan: Citizenship, Embodiment
and Sexuality. ... Beauty Up: Exploring Contemporary Japanese Body Aesthetics.

Japanese Women and Sport

Author: Robin Kietlinski

Publisher: A&C Black

ISBN: 1849666687

Page: 208

View: 281

In 'Japanese Women and Sport', Robin Kietlinski sets out to problematize the hegemonic image of the delicate Japanese woman, highlighting an overlooked area in the history of modern Japan. Previous studies of gender in the Japanese context do not explore the history of female participation in sport, and recent academic studies of women and sport tend to focus on Western countries. Kietlinski locates the discussion of Japanese women in sport within a larger East Asian context and considers the socio-economic position and history of modern Japan. Reaching from the early 20th century to the present day, Kietlinski traces the progression of Japanese women's participation in sport from the first female school for physical education and the foundations of competitive sport through to their growing presence in the Olympics and international sport.

Snow Wave Pine

by Sadao Hibi

Plant patterns -- Animal patterns -- Natural phenomena -- Implements and structures -- Geometric patterns -- Other miscellaneous patterns -- Family crests -- On Japanese patterns -- On Japanese family crests

Snow Wave Pine

Author: Sadao Hibi

Publisher: Kodansha International

ISBN: 9784770026897

Page: 195

View: 234

This illustrated text - containing over 350 colour photographs - demonstrates how traditional Japanese patterns are used in a variety of arts and crafts and provides a reference source for collectors. Detailed historical and cultural information concerning each motif is also presented. An important, but often overlooked, part of the world of Japanese arts and crafts is the array of beautiful, stylized motifs that have traditionally been used to decorate a huge range of objects. Snow, Wave, Pine takes a close look at some of the most classic of those patterns,