Flowers of Edo


Book Description

We have breathed new life into a key historical botanical art book from the Edo period. Herbalism (Phytomedicine), the study of plants and minerals used for medical purposes, has long been popular in China. As herbalism developed, it was brought to Japan in the eighth century and, by the seventeenth century, became a fully fledged field of study. Honzou-zufu,/i>, which was published in 1828 by Kanen Iwasaki, was the first Japanese botanical encyclopedia with color. It was comprised of 96 volumes and contained 2000 plants, which were sketched, colored and classified into three different categories (mountain plants, wet plants and poisonous plants). Because most of the volumes were transcribed, many existing illustrations were low in quality. But we have carefully researched and selected the best 100 illustrations from the Honzou-zufu and breathed new life into this historical botanical art book from the Edo period. To show all the illustrations without the center being folded, the book is design in landscape format, enabling the illustrations to be clearly seen in a page. Chinese, Japanese and Kampo (Chinese medicine) names are listed for each flower together with a little story about the flower's medical efficacy, origin of its name, language associations and other useful information about the flower. Art direction has been done by Kazuhiko Tajima, who designed our bestselling title Bonsai (9784756248299).




Edo Rimpa$dkachō fūgetsu o mederu$hMiyazaki Momo


Book Description

A fascinating book on the elegant paintings of birds and flowers in Edo-Rinpa painting The Rinpa school is one of the historical schools in Japanese painting established in 17th century Kyoto. Later in 19th century Edo (old Tokyo), Hoitsu Sakai, who worshiped and was influenced by Korin Ogata, revived this genre with his elegant, poetic and refined taste. This book showcases not only the most popular works of the Edo-Rinpa style but also features unique and innovative works from Kiitsu Suzuki, Hoitsu Sakai's own disciple, and shows how Rinpa style has been passed on to the modern painters such as Shunso Hishida and Sekka Kamisaka. Written by Momo Miyazaki, a specialist in Edo period painting and the curator of The Museum Yamato Bunkakan, this book will be an informative must have treasury book for Japanese art lovers, creators, and artists.--Momo Miyazaki




Birds of Edo


Book Description

Admire exquisite birds from an eminent Edo-period nature field guide. As a sequel to "Flowers of Edo", we are pleased to present "Birds of Edo". Of all the illustrated encyclopedias of flora and fauna from the Edo period, "Baien-Kinpu" which was compiled by Baien Mouri, a samurai and a scholar of herbal medicine, was said to be most outstanding nature field guide in terms of its realistic depiction and its beautiful and sensitive brushwork. We have carefully selected 86 images from "Baien-Kinpu", supplemented with explanatory text on the origins of each bird's Japanese name, classification and scientific name, along with information on Japanese literature in which these birds appear. The lively and radiant birds beloved by the people in the Edo period, now return to life in the Reiwa era! As in the previous book, this title is designed in landscape format, enabling the illustrations to be clearly seen in a single page. Art direction is by Kazuhiko Tajima, who designed our bestselling title Bonsai (9784756248299).




Japanese Woodblock Flower Prints


Book Description

Extraordinary collection of Japanese woodblock prints by a well-known artist features 120 plates in brilliant color. Realistic images from a rare edition include daffodils, tulips, and other familiar and unusual flowers.







Edo, Art in Japan 1615-1868


Book Description

Shows and describes Edo-period art, including screens, armor, woodblock prints, pottery, and kimonos




Painting Edo


Book Description

Accompanies an exhibition of the same name held at the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts, February 14-July 26, 2020.




Visions of Japan


Book Description

Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) is considered the foremost Japanese landscape print artist of the 20th century. "Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui s Masterpieces" brings together in a single volume one hundred of Hasui s most celebrated prints. Fully illustrated, this publication includes annotated descriptions for each work, as well as two essays on Hasui s life and work. Hasui's valuable contribution to the woodblock print medium was acknowledged in 1956, a year before his death, when he was honoured with the distinction of Living National Treasure ."




The Flowers of Japan and the Art of Floral Arrangement


Book Description

This striking work, prepared through the enthusiasm of Professor Conder, who was Professor of Art and Architecture to the Japanese Government, is particularly important as it includes six woodblocks by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, deemed to be perhaps the finest print designer of the period (1839-1892) - a Kuniyoshi pupil who stands almost alone in expressing ukiyo-e vigor during the years of social, political and artistic upheaval.




In the Shelter of the Pine


Book Description

In the early eighteenth century, the noblewoman Ōgimachi Machiko composed a memoir of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, the powerful samurai for whom she had served as a concubine for twenty years. Machiko assisted Yoshiyasu in his ascent to the rank of chief adjutant to the Tokugawa shogun. She kept him in good graces with the imperial court, enabled him to study poetry with aristocratic teachers and have his compositions read by the retired emperor, and gave birth to two of his sons. Writing after Yoshiyasu’s retirement, she recalled it all—from the glittering formal visits of the shogun and his entourage to the passage of the seasons as seen from her apartments in the Yanagisawa mansion. In the Shelter of the Pine is the most significant work of literature by a woman of Japan’s early modern era. Featuring Machiko’s keen eye for detail, strong narrative voice, and polished prose studded with allusions to Chinese and Japanese classics, this memoir sheds light on everything from the social world of the Tokugawa elite to the role of literature in women’s lives. Machiko modeled her story on The Tale of Genji, illustrating how the eleventh-century classic continued to inspire its female readers and provide them with the means to make sense of their experiences. Elegant, poetic, and revealing, In the Shelter of the Pine is a vivid portrait of a distant world and a vital addition to the canon of Japanese literature available in English.