Tattoos of the Floating World: Ukiyo-E Motifs in Japanese Tattoo
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Japanese Art as Tattoo and Vice Versa
  • tops on the cultural context of the japanese tattoo
  • Masterful Examination of Floating World Arts
Tattoos of the Floating World: Ukiyo-E Motifs in Japanese Tattoo
Takahiro Kitamura , and Katie M. Kitamura
Manufacturer: KIT Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9074822452

Book Description

This unique book by tattoo artist Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka, a pupil of Horiyoshi III) discusses the art of the Japanese tattoo in the context of Ukiyo-e, concentrating on the parallel histories of the woodblock print and the tattoo. Through high quality illustrations it shows that the Japanese tattoo is highly reliant on and linked to the woodblock print and that it deserves a position among the other art forms. A range of typical ukiyo-e motifs in the Japanese tattoo are discussed and illustrated by the original Japanese prints, and sketches, drawings and tattoos by tattoo master Horiyoshi III. The book ends with a special essay by Don Ed Hardy.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Japanese Art as Tattoo and Vice Versa.......2005-05-12

Never has a book demonstrated so well the relationship between Japanese wood block prints and tattoos. Despite the seeming deluge of complex images that appear in large Japanese tattoos and body suits, the elements and themes are actually not that many and are readily recognized with practice. Tattoo artists will pour over this volume and collectors (both book and tattoo) shouldn't be without it.

4 out of 5 stars tops on the cultural context of the japanese tattoo.......2003-07-09

Takahiro Kitamura's "Tattoos of the Floating World" is far from a be-all and end-all guide to Japanese tattoos. However, it is for the moment without peer in providing a cultural context, and it thus adds depth to a reading of many other favorites, including Fellman's "The Japanese Tattoo," Addiss' "Japanese Ghosts and Demons," and Klompmakers' "Of Brigands and Bravery: Kuniyoshi's Heroes of the Suikoden."

In this slender volume, Kitamura's primary focus is the linkage of the woodblock printing tradition of the Edo period (1615-1868) to the development of the tattoo as art. With such a focus, afficionados of the print artists Kuniyoshi, Kunisada, and Kunichika will find many illustrations to delight them, and there are as well photographs of the current artistry being worked by tattoo masters. Adding to the value of the book are a preface written by Donald Richie and an afterword by Don Ed Hardy. The first essay is elegiac and lyrical in tone; the second provides personal insights by a Western connoisseur of the tattoo art form.

The shortcomings of "Tattoos of the Floating World" concern what is not included. The book would have benefitted greatly from having an index as well as a more generously-executed glossary. Moreover, I regret that Kitamura, who as a tattoo artist is uniquely qualified to do so, did not more systematically and fully catalogue and explain the symbolism of Japanese tattoos.

5 out of 5 stars Masterful Examination of Floating World Arts.......2003-05-03

Most tattoo afficianados are aware that Japanese tattoos are steeped in history and culture. But Tattoos Of The Floating World: Ukiy-o Motifs In The Japanese tattoo explores this history and culture in a way never done before. Takahiro Kitamura's research and unique insight combine to present the reader with not only a history of the Japanese tattoo, but also with an understanding of how it came to be, how it continued to maintain its traditions through centuries of persecution and cultural metamorphosis, and how it both influenced and was influenced by the contemporary arts of early Japan.

The first half of this excellent work explores the early history of the Floating World (as pleasure districts were known as Japan's Edo period), focusing on the "triumvirate of arts": ukiyo-e (wood block prints), irezumi (tattoos), and kabuki theatre. Ukiyo-e and irezumi are so closely intertwined that tattoos of the day were referred to as horimono (carved object) in deference to the process of carving a wood block print. Kabuki was the theatre of the people and expressed not only the history and mythology of Japan, but the people's innermost desires as well. Kitamura's exploration of the ways in which these three arts intertwined demonstrates his love of the topic and inspires a similar affection in the reader.

The latter half of Tattoos Of The Floating World details many of the themes so strongly connected with Japanese Tattoo today. Sections devoted to such heroes as Fudo Myoo, Fujin and Raijin, Kumonryu Shishin, and Tennin give a basic understanding of their characters themselves and their endurance as tattoo motifs. Details are also provided on such traditional images as dragons, koi, shunga, falcons, the Kurikaraken, tigers and the phoenix.

Illustrated throughout with ukiyo-e, original sketches by Horiyoshi III, and photographs by Jai Tanju, this work is as beautiful as it is educational. The pairing of sketches next to their finished tattoos highlights the artistry involved in Japanese tattoo while the presentation of ukiyo-e prints alongside tattoos of the same characters and motifs demonstrates the cultural and historic similarities.

As a special bonus, Don Ed Hardy weighs in with an essay exploring his own discovery of Japanese tattoo. Ed Hardy is the foremost American authority on Japanese tattoo and was one of the first Westerners to write on the subject. This essay follows his discovery of Japanese tattoo and his adventures in crossing the borders (both physical and cultural) between Japanese and Western tattooing.
Japanese Erotic Fantasies: Sexual Imagery of the Edo Period
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The best collectionI've seen
Japanese Erotic Fantasies: Sexual Imagery of the Edo Period
Chris Uhlenbeck , and Margarita Winkel
Manufacturer: Hotei Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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  5. Utamaro: Portraits from the Floating World Utamaro: Portraits from the Floating World

ASIN: 9074822665

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The best collectionI've seen.......2005-06-05

It's a wonderful collection for a variety of reasons: the beautiful reproduction, the many poses and practices it shows, the many artists and styles, the scholarly but interesting commentary, and attention to a print-lover's details.

The depictions cover the whole range of possible couplings, plus a number of impossible ones. Most of the pictures focus on coupling of one man and one woman, but men together, women singly or together, multiples of each, and even mythical beasts appear in various samples. At least a few pictures show use of toys, genital kisses and caresses, and even cleanup tissues - a little touch that lends familiarity to this unfamiliar culture. Another point appealed to me as well, that all or nearly all scenes show happy, consenting partners.

The historical notes are what such notes should be. They explain the unfamiliar or point out details, without belaboring the obvious. Descriptions of the prints themselves could have been a bit better, especially regarding foxing, fading, and other signs of age. I was glad to see the damaged images, though. It gives viewers a more realistic idea of what to expect when the see prints in galleries or stores, and I'd rather see the image damaged that never see it at all.

In terms of printing and image-making techniques, this book spans a very wide range. The collection is dominated by 17-19th century woodcuts, in the familiar colored style or simple linear images. The authors have also included some of the cartoons that would have been used to guide the artisan cutting the blocks, as well as pencil drawings made for their own sake. There are a few clever fold-outs, including one where, upon lifting the tablecloth on the print, we see lovers playing footsie under the table. Another series (cat. 87) shows a lovely set of prints in a style new to me, one that imitates traditional ink drawings. Others (cat. 84) use "blind impressions" to emboss patterns into the print. Careful photography shows how the indentations enhance the patterns of the fabric, or (in a second print) describe the modeling of the figures and their musculature. In a few cases, the authors show multiple impressions of a given image, to show how instances of the "same" image may differ.

If you have just one book of Edo-era erotica, make it this one. It's beautiful, broad, and informative in many ways. Best of all, it gives a very happy impression of the players and their play.

//wiredweird
The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints

    Manufacturer: Hotei Publishing
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 9074822657

    Book Description

    The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints" will serve as a source of quick reference as well as an in-depth study of all aspects of Japanese prints from the Edo (1600-1868) to Taishô (1912-26) periods. The first section of Hotei's Guide to Japanese Woodblock Prints is divided into four main subject areas: historical background, the art history of Ukiyo-e prints, print production (materials and techniques, the publishing trade) and the history of collecting Japanese prints, with a shorter fifth section on conservation. Each subject area will contain a longer survey article which will be accompanied by shorter essays that will highlight specific topics pertaining to Japanese prints and their development. The second section of the book comprises an extensive alphabetical listing of well over a 2,000 carefully cross-referenced entries on individual print designers and schools, publishers, carvers, printers and collectors, major Kabuki actors, materials and! techniques, conservation, subject-matter/iconography, literature and miscellaneous print-related terminology. This will be followed by various appendices, including such aspects as seals of publishers and carvers, signatures, maps and chronological tables. With this ambitious project Hotei Publishing hopes to fill the gap for an extensive reference work on Japanese prints, one that will prove a valuable resource for teachers and students, art collectors, librarians and interested lay-people alike.
    Japanese Print-Making: a Handbook of Traditional & Modern Techniques
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Japanese Print-Making: a Handbook of Traditional & Modern Techniques

      Manufacturer: Tuttle; Prentice-Hall
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      HiroshigeHiroshige | ( G-I ) | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: B000CSEF9C

      Product Description

      A Major Resource on the Techmique of Woodblock Print-Making, 176p., with original color woodcut frontis 18 color & b.w. plates + 103 figures, index,bibliography, appendix, co-author R Yuki, dj. An important book by a member of the famous Yoshida print- making family. With a preface by Oliver Statler. Some artist represented are: Hiroshige, Moronobu, Sharaku, Yamaguchi and Azechi. Co-authored by Rei Yuki. This work is an expository essay addressing the traditional & modern print making techniques: preparation, carving, printing materials & tools, printing process. Modern prints: the development of modern prints, principles of technique, effects produced by various blocks, certain special effects, effects from overprinting, from conception to realization. With useful appendices to beginners and collectors, use of block printing. A valuable reference for any student or collector of Japanese prints. This also contains solid instruction on color woodblock printing. Written and organized by the son of Hiroshi Yoshida, the celebrated mid-19th century color woodblock print artist. Toshi is also known as a successful color woodblock This also contains solid instruction on color woodblock printing.
      Shin Hanga: The New Print Movement of Japan
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • Up-dating Ukiyoe
      • Profusely and beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred color images
      Shin Hanga: The New Print Movement of Japan
      Barry Till
      Manufacturer: Pomegranate Communications
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      5. Ukiyo-E Ukiyo-E

      ASIN: 0764940392

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Up-dating Ukiyoe.......2007-05-12

      Small introductory book that will update your knowledge of what happened to ukiyoe and how Japanese woodblock prints morphed into Shin Hanga or new prints in the twentieth century. The woodblock print which was once a group effort became only the artist's creation. It's about the transition and expansion of subjects from the "Floating world" of the entertainment quarters in Kyoto and Tokyo to everyday life in modernized Japan. The Japanese love the sights and sounds of their country and are tourists par excellance from school to old age. It's no surprise that the landscapes of Hiroshige and Hokusai of famous sites translate easily to modern day views of the same famous Japanese places in the prints of Hasui,Yoshida and Kasamatsu. Mannered actor prints become more real and the Bijin prints of geisha change from the artificial to beauty in the natural female form in everyday life.

      5 out of 5 stars Profusely and beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred color images.......2007-05-12

      The Japanese term 'shin hanga' means 'new prints'. "Shin Hanga: The New Print Movement Of Japan" by curator Barry Till is a impressively illustrated and informative history of the 'new prints' art movement beginning with the Meiji period (1868-1912), continuing through the prewar years of the 1930s, and going on to the artists of the 1960s. Profusely and beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred color images, "Shin Hanga" is very strongly recommended for academic and community library Art History reference collections, and will prove to be of immense interest for art students, artists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Japanese culture, art and history.
      Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Japan: The Architects Other Passion
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • Another passion...
      • The Passion of Frank Lloyd Wright
      Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Japan: The Architects Other Passion
      Julia Meech
      Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      GeneralGeneral | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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      Wright, Frank LloydWright, Frank Lloyd | Architects, A-Z | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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      ASIN: 0810945630

      Book Description

      Renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright was an avid and important collector and dealer of Asian art. His personal collection included thousands of Japanese color woodblock prints, and it was his discerning eye that helped build the foremost private holdings in the United States, which in turn became the cornerstones of the important collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This lavish bookówhich accompanies an exhibition at Japan Society Gallery in New Yorkóexamines Wright's passion for Japanese art and illuminates the profound impact it had on his personal and professional life.

      Author Julia Meech has devoted years to researching this aspect of Wright's life and work. Her fascinating studyówhich spans Wright's entire career and is lavishly illustrated with color reproductions of works of art and scores of archival photographsóadds a rich new chapter to the body of scholarship on the great American architect.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Another passion..........2003-05-18

      To anyone familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural designs, the fact that love of Japanese art, design and print work should come as no surprise. The book 'Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Japan: The Artist's Other Passion' by Julia Melch gives clear details of the influence of the Japanese on his thinking and creativity, both in narrative and in glorious photography and print.

      Frank Lloyd Wright
      Wright was born in Wisconsin shortly after the American Civil War. He studied in the late nineteenth century with noted architect Louis Sullivan, with whom he had continuing and occasionally strained relationship. Wright is probably best known in America for the design of the Guggenheim Museum of Art In New York City; more generally, though, he is known for a particular style of low-built prairie-style houses and institutional buildings, that utilised open-space planning, and often had an element of interaction with elements such as water (in fact, a perennial complaint of Wright buildings is that they leak!). Wright was an innovator in incorporating engineering principles into the design of his buildings to provide sturdiness and creative forms of support and room design. In Japan, Wright was well-known for his design of the Imperial Hotel in Japan, as well as other buildings, including private residences of many prominent Japanese citizens. His work in Japan did not extend much beyond the early 1920s, however, and even the Imperial Hotel was demolished in 1968. Wright himself passed away in 1959 at the age of 91.

      Wright and the Art of Japan
      This book was produced for the Japan Society Gallery of New York by Julia Melch. It traces early affinities and influences of Japanese art on Wright and his work, continuing interest including Wright's almost voracious collecting habits, and the final selling and distribution of his collection late in Wright's life.

      'When Wright died at the age of almost ninety-two, he owed money to several Asian art dealers in New York, and there were six thousand Japanese colour woodblock prints in his personal collection, not to mention some three hundred Chinese and Japanese ceramics, bronzes, sculptures, textiles, stencils, and carpets, and about twenty Japanese and Chinese folding screens.'

      Some of this collection remains as part of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, but much had to be sold to pay debts, including tax bills.

      Japanese art probably first came into Wright's sphere of creative influences with the World's Fair of 1893 in Chicago. Louis Sullivan had many books of Japanese design and art in his offices when Wright first joined the firm of Adler and Sullivan. This probably represents the earliest introduction. However, Japanese art was becoming widely available in American and Europe by this time, and Japanese principles were beginning to be introduced in novel ways to various buildings. Wright's first trip to Japan came in 1905, the first of many.

      Wright became well-known in Japan, and entered a period he sometimes referred to as his 'Oriental Symphony'. During the time of his work on the Imperial Hotel, he gave an interview which showed his standing and mis-understanding in the Japanese architectural community:

      Wright was not only a collector, but was himself a dealer of some standing. Particularly in Oak Park and the Chicago area, his designs for buildings would often include artistic recommendations that he would provide as dealer.

      This lead to a major scandal, which Melch recounts in some (sometimes juicy) detail, including Wright's egocentric way of viewing the world and attempt to 'get away' with various controversial practices of manufacture and transfer of art work.

      'Wright was an immodest foreigner operating outside the guidelines of the closed community of Tokyo print dealers. He flaunted his money and exuded the thinly veiled bravado of the ace dealer. Prices were escalating, the stakes were high, and h is jealous rivals were no doubt pleased to take him out of the game. Revamping was a new technique, totally unexpected. Greed and anticipation of huge profits had made him careless.'

      Wright left Japan in 1922, before completion of the Imperial Hotel. He never returned. In fact, he had few international dealings in art or architecture after this period. He longed for greater international acclaim and exposure, but save a few unfinished projects in Hungary and Baghdad, he had few foreign assignments, and none of note.

      Disposing of the collection, both before his death and by his widow after his death, is a tale in-and-of itself recounted in the book. Trading with friends and other art dealers, auctioning off pieces individually and as collections, and giving gifts away reduced the collection somewhat, but Wright continued to add pieces throughout his life.

      Julia Melch
      The author, Julia Melch, has had a career devoted to Asian art. Educated at Smith College and Harvard University, she has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art organising exhibitions of Asian art. She is currently a senior consultant to Christie's, the famous auction house, specialising in Japanese art works.

      This book is produced by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., which has a strong reputation, well deserved, for producing outstanding volumes of art. The colours are vibrant and attractive; the pages are firm and well-suited to the art represented. This is a reference volume, a great coffee-table book, and an interesting narrative read. Giving a perspective on both Frank Lloyd Wright and Japanese art of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries through the lens of each other is a unique perspective, well executed.

      5 out of 5 stars The Passion of Frank Lloyd Wright.......2001-04-15

      It's almost unimaginable that anyone could find something new to say about this protean figure of the 20th Century. And, in fact, another author, Kevin Nute, has also written in recent years about the architect's lifelong fascination with things Japanese. Yet where Nute concentrates on the Orientalist ideas and design concepts that Wright so readily and brilliantly adapted in his own work, Julia Meech turns her attention to a different--and darker--side of the architect's personality: his passion for Japanese prints and art collecting. As she tells it, this obsession (his print purchases often exceeded the money that he took in on architectural commissions) not only drove Wright into bankruptcy, but ensnared him in a debilitating scandal over the resale of "revamped" artworks to several of his wealthy patrons.

      Wright, the driven, self-absorbed genius, is everywhere apparent in this fascinating, well-researched saga. But so is the conflicted man behind the famous persona. (This isn't to say that he emerges as a particularly sympathetic figure: Meech relates, for instance, how Wright helped organize a memorial exhibition following the untimely death of his Japanese mentor, the young and talented printmaker Hashiguchi Goyo. She adds, however, that no evidence exists to show that Wright ever owned one of Goyo's prints--a bit ironic given the high regard in which Goyo's work is held today.)

      Equal to Meech's riveting account, I would have to say that this is one of the most beautifully-designed catalogs (it accompanies an exhibition of the same name at the Japan Society Gallery in New York City) that I have ever encountered. It is both lavish and tasteful, if that's possible, with gorgeous color plates and scads of rare photographs of the architect and his cronies, his places of refuge (including hotel suites and other temporary dwellings chock-a-block full of art treasures), and persons and places relevant to the story. For Frank Lloyd Wright fans already burdened by a surfeit of wonderful books, make room on your shelf for a fine new acquisition.
      Gyotaku Fish Impressions: The Art of Japanese Fish Printing
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • WOW
      • a western perspective on a japanese technique
      • nicely laid out book
      • A Showcase for a Beautiful Art Form!
      • lots of gorgeous prints, very little technical info
      Gyotaku Fish Impressions: The Art of Japanese Fish Printing
      Doug Olander
      Manufacturer: Frank Amato Pubns
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

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      ASIN: 1878175831

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars WOW.......2002-06-26

      As a person from the northeast (staten island new york to be exact) I was never interested in fishing or it's culture. But upon reading and veiwing this book I was amazed. I thought fishing was a redneck back woods thing, but Mr. Olander's paintings show life and show diversity and opened a new door up for me. WOW! My personal favorite is on page 32, of the tripletail, again WOW!

      4 out of 5 stars a western perspective on a japanese technique.......2001-10-01

      A beautiful book. I picked up this book out of curiosity and was impressed by the quality of the prints themselves. It made me want to go out and print some fish myself. My only complaint is that I wanted to see some more detailed writing on technique, though his comentary (on each print) in terms of the different breeds and catching of the fish involved was entertaining and disarmingly free of pretentions.

      1 out of 5 stars nicely laid out book.......2001-05-05

      Olander's book exhibits excellent promotion and hype, not skilled fish prints. Although he uses color fairly well, the technical aspects of his printing leave a bit to be desired, and design elements are lacking. It's a shame that this book is used as an example of fine printing, when it is not at all. For some excellent and stunning fish prints, check out the website of the Fish Print Factory in Japan. Although these are done in the indirect method vice Olander's direct, there is an exemplary use of color, shading, tones, balance, and design.

      5 out of 5 stars A Showcase for a Beautiful Art Form!.......2000-07-06

      Doug's talents leave me speechless and dewey-eyed with awe. Not only did I become so enthralled that I am trying to take up gyotaku myself, but I simply HAD to own one of his paintings - and now I do! After trying this art form myself, I am even more humbled by his incredible talents; he truly brings these beautiful fish back to life in front of my eyes! I loved the book; it is a frequent source of inspiration for me!

      3 out of 5 stars lots of gorgeous prints, very little technical info.......2000-02-29

      If you are looking for technical information regarding gyotaku, this book will not help you much at all. In that case, you will be much better served by considering Bethmann's "Nature Printing with Herbs, Fruits & Flowers" which has a small gyotaku section. If you are looking for examples of artistic presentation of gyotaku prints, this book provides 53 color plates of fish prints done by the author. That's not what I was looking for (sigh).
      Chikanobu: Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Chikanobu: Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints

        Manufacturer: Hotei Publishing
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 9074822886

        Book Description

        Chikanobu. Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints is the first monograph in English on the Meiji print artist Yoshu Chikanobu (1838-1912), well known for his depictions of women and scenes of Japanese history and legends. Author Bruce A. Coats presents a detailed overview of Chikanobu's life and works, placed within the historical and artistic context of Meiji Japan, when its rapid modernization and westernization created an interest for 'old' Japan among the Japanese and when the arts underwent significant changes as well.

        Essays by Bruce A. Coats, Allen Hockley, Kyoku Kurita and Joshua Mostow draw upon various topics related to Chikanobu's work, such as Meiji literature and the heroic ethos in the late Meiji period.

        Works donated to the Scripps College collection form the core of the illustrative material. The images are accompanied by elaborate descriptions and in a number of cases compared with similar designs from other artists. Two of Chikanobu's well known series of 50 prints each, Snow, Moon, Flowers (Setsugekka) and Eastern Brocades: Day and Night Compared (Azuma nishiki chuya kurabe) are illustrated in their entirety. And with over 270 full color illustrations, Chikanobu. Modern and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints truly displays the richness of the intense Meiji print palette.
        One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Japanese Woodblock Prints by Yoshitoshi
        Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
        • no words
        • 100 aspects of the moon
        • Moonblocked
        One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Japanese Woodblock Prints by Yoshitoshi
        Tamara Tjardes , and Yoshitoshi Taiso
        Manufacturer: Museum of New Mexico Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        1. Japanese Prints: The Art Institute of Chicago Japanese Prints: The Art Institute of Chicago
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        ASIN: 0890134383

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars no words.......2007-01-10

        Yoshitoshi is probably the best woodblock artist of his time an this tribute need no words

        4 out of 5 stars 100 aspects of the moon.......2004-01-04

        This is a beautiful book, nicely organized. The poetry and folk lore give the reader a peek into a complex and not ofter understood look at Jpanese society. As a printmaker I appreciate the work but loved the layout and the quest the collectors made over two decades to find all 100 of these prints, that are over 100 years old, in pristine condition.

        5 out of 5 stars Moonblocked.......2003-06-12

        The Museum of International Folk Art, New Mexico, has all the woodblock prints in the series 100 ASPECTS OF THE MOON by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. During the Edo period, 1600-1868, Ukiyo-e, or woodblock print pictures of the floating world, meant economical, popular art for the Japanese. It was the first Japanese art in which artists didn't have to depend on a few elite clients. Instead, they found success in mass production, for city shops, open-air kiosks and street vendors.

        At first, Yoshitoshi was caught up in the brutality of violent times, by printing demons, murderers and warriors. Then, in the 1880s, he took to Western-styled perspective, space and unlikely color combinations. He did all this, though, within limits from Noh drama. Noh's point was the least amount of detail. It was also on a person just before doing something or while going over something from the past. Both were found in Yoshitoshi's moon prints.

        With them, he broke ground in such a way as to move the world, what with post-impressionist America and Europe coming upon his prints. For he put the faces of ordinary people onto figures from Chinese, Indian and Japanese pasts.

        Before becoming industrialized, Japan had a calendar system based on the phases of the moon. The Japanese still honor the full moon night, known as tsukimi. On August 15th, the Japanese offer dumplings, eulalia and seasonal fruits, to ask for excellent harvests.

        Tamara Tjardes has organized Yoshitoshi's prints according to figures from literature, myth and music; the floating world; and battles. From them, one of my two favorite blocks is "Ishiyama moon." Lady Murasaki wrote the world's first novel, in 1021, with her adventures of Prince Genji. Yoshitoshi showed her on the balcony of the Ishiyama temple, moon-gazing while starting to write.

        The other's "A country couple enjoys the moonlight with their infant son." A farmer and his wife cradle their infant son. They drink from a kettle of sake. They're framed by the trailing vine of the yugao. Yoshitoshi printed the scene, to honor these lines from his friend, the poet Keika: "Pleasure is this: to lie under the moonflower bower; the man in his undershirt; the woman in her slip"!
        Made in Japan: The Postwar Creative Print Movement
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • new art movement in post-War Japanese society
        Made in Japan: The Postwar Creative Print Movement
        Alicia Volk , and Helen Nagata
        Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        AsianAsian | Regional | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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        ASIN: 029598502X

        Book Description

        Made in Japan examines the artistic dialogue between East and West as it played out between 1945 and 1970. During this post-World War II period, Japanese printmakers effectively acted as ambassadors, bringing their aesthetic traditions into fruitful interaction with contemporary American trends and forging ties with artists, scholars, museums, and collectors. This volume presents for the first time an integrated history of innovative visual experimentation and pioneering cultural patronage.

        The creative print (sosaku hanga) movement originated in the early twentieth century, when Japanese artists sought to modernize their practice by embracing Euro-American concepts of originality and autonomy. The movement matured in the decades following World War II, when second- and third-generation sosaku hanga printmakers continued to experiment in stylistic, technical, and thematic terms. From the early 1950s, Japanese printmakers participated in a newly global art scene, achieving great success at international art exhibitions sponsored by the American and Japanese governments.

        The prints in this book range widely in treatment and medium, embracing woodcut, stencil, lithography, etching, mezzotint, aquatint, and screenprint. Made in Japan includes essays by Alicia Volk and Helen Nagata and biographies of the artists.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars new art movement in post-War Japanese society.......2005-05-30

        In the rebuilding of Japanese society in the years after its defeat in World War, there was a "creative print movement [that] brought modern European artistic attitudes such as self-expression and formalist innovation to the Japanese woodblock print, a medium that had been rooted in the mass-production of popular images for several hundred years." The latest stages of this movement are becoming more widely known in the United States with the popularity of the Japanese manga and anime. The predecessors of this recent Japanese art are seen in the colors, designs, collages, subjects, and treatments of the post-war prints in this volume. One or two prints of 59 artists are shown in the main section of about 70 pages. These range from dark, tangled visions from having witnessed the devastation from the atom bombs to abstract designs to brightly-colored, comically erotic figures. Biographical sketches of the 59 artists follow the main section.

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