MATCHIBAKO: Japanese Matchbox Art of the 20s and 30s depicts Japan’s swift transformation into an industrial empire in the early 20th century, as illustrated in the infinitesimal advertisements on matchboxes from the period. In an uncertain society and its changing leisure market, matches joined cigarettes in Western-style hotels and cafes, and in sushi bars next door. Patrons might be found in Western dress or traditional kimono, debating Marx or the latest silent film, but all saw themselves reflected in the new graphism.

Although most were anonymously designed, these tiny remainders alternately show the influence of Cubism and the Bauhaus in illustration and English type, and retain conventional wood block fonts and right-to-left Japanese text. This little book is a delightful collection of images from the other side of the globe.

Completely illustrated in color

250 photos/illustrations

Pattern design has a long history within Japanese culture. This book presents a collection of carefully selected traditional Japanese patterns in 60 categories for use by designers and artists in their projects and personal work. An companion CD-ROM provides 250 patterns in high-definition JPEG format along with PSD format from which you can freely manipulate and modify the patterns to customize them for your own use. This is an inspirational and highly practical reference and sourcebook for anyone working in the area of visual art.

Tradition meets modernity in an ancient land

Fans of Japanese culture and aesthetics will revel in this inspirational book packed cover-to-cover with full page color photos of a wide range of homes and buildings across the islands of Japan, from traditional tatami to modern minimal. Beginning with a section on exteriors, replete with tranquil zen gardens, the book segues into interiors and ends with photos of details, giving readers a wellspring of ideas and the distinct sense that they have been briefly transported to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Recording 1525 works which Japan Graphic Design Association Inc on be half of design group in Japan recommends with confidence. The collection of the highest of Japanese Graphic Design in 2007

This book chooses 58 projects in Japan and classifies them into four categories(cultural&commercial, educational, public and multipurpose) in order to describe the kernel of Japanese architecture.