This book presents a true journey into the heart of the Kyoto experience — one which brings you deep into the world of Kyoto's ancient Zen Buddhist culture.

Kyoto's Zen heritage represents one of mankind's greatest achievements — recognized by the large number of temples, shrines and gardens which have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Millions of visitors travel to Kyoto yearly in search of their secrets, and here for the first time is a comprehensive overview of each major site.

Over 50 temples and gardens — including all World Heritage Sites — are captured here in sensitive photos by acclaimed Kyoto-based photographer John Einarsen. A detailed introduction to each temple by local expert John Dougill includes information about special opportunities for visitors — such as early morning meditation sessions, temple food offerings and special green tea sets provided to enhance the contemplative experience — along with other "insider" information that no other guide provides.

A preface by Rev Takafumi Kawakami, the deputy head priest of the Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto, serves to place the book within the context of eastern and western Buddhist thought and practice. His widely viewed TED Talk "How mindfulness can help you to live in the present" has been viewed by over 100,000 people.

About the Authors:

Author John Dougill is a professor at Ryukoku, Kyoto's largest Buddhist university. He has written many books about Japan including In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians, Japan's World Heritage Sites and Kyoto: A Cultural History. In addition to running the Green Shinto blog, he is the associate editor of Japanese Religions and founder of the "Writers in Kyoto" group. He lives in Kyoto, plays chess and loves to wander the banks of the Kamogawa River.

Photographer John Einarsen is a photographer, designer, curator and founding editor of Kyoto Journal, an international magazine on Japanese and Asian culture established in 1987. His photographs have been published in Kyoto: The Forest Within the Gate and Small Buildings of Kyoto. From 2013-2015 he served as an advisor to the Japan Times and in 2013 received the Commissioner's Award of the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency. He lives near Kyoto's Nanzenji temple.

Foreword writer Rev. Takafumi Kawakami is deputy head priest of Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto, where he teaches Zen meditation classes in English to 5000 foreign visitors annually including groups from Harvard, Sloan and other schools. He co-hosts study abroad programs in Kyoto for students from Bryn Mawr, University of Oregon and other colleges and teaches Japanese hospitality and corporate wellness seminars. He has developed a mindfulness smartphone app called Myalo and supervises JINS MEME ZEN (a mindfulness program using a wearable computing device). His is the first Buddhist temple in Japan to publicly offer same-sex wedding ceremonies, and he has been a member of the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program of the U.S.-Japan Foundation, since 2008. His 2015 TED Talk "How mindfulness can help you to live in the present" has been viewed by over 100,000 people.

Zen Buddhist priest Shunmyo Masuno understands that today's busy world leaves little time or space for self-reflection, but that a garden — even in the most urban of spaces — can provide some respite. In his words, "The garden is a special spiritual place where the mind dwells." With this in mind, Masuno has designed scores of spectacular Japanese gardens and landscapes with the aim of helping people achieve a balanced life in the 21st century.

This book explores Masuno's design process and ideas, which are integral to his daily Zen training and teachings. It features 15 unique gardens and contemplative landscapes completed in six countries over as many years — all thoughtfully described and documented in full-color photos and drawings. Readers will also find insights on Masuno's philosophy of garden design and a conversation between the designer and famed architect Terunobu Fujimori.

Zen Garden Design provides an in-depth examination of Masuno's gardens and landscapes—not just as beautiful spaces, but as places for meditation and contemplation.

About the Author:

Mira Locher is an architect and professor who works in the U.S. and Japan. She studied at Smith College before receiving her Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania. After working for Team Zoo Atelier Mobile in Japan for seven years, she set up an architectural practice in the U.S. with Takayuki Murakami. Mira Locher is Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba (Canada). She is the author of Super Potato Design, Zen Gardens and Zen Garden Design.

Shunmyo Masuno is the head priest of Kenkohji, a Soto Zen Buddhist temple in Yokohama, as well as the principal and founder of Japan Landscape Consultants. He is a graduate of Tamagawa University and served his garden apprenticeship under the late Saito Katsuo, He founded Japan Landscape Consultants in 1982 and has received numerous awards for his landscape and garden designs, including the prestigious National Grand Prize from the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture. He is a professor at Tama Art University and teaches and lectures internationally. Masuno is the author of more than 100 books on the practice and teachings of Zen Buddhism, as well as garden design and landscape architecture.

A native of Nagano-ken, Terunobu Fujimori is an architectural historian and architect and serves as the director of the Edo-Tokyo History Museum. He received his Ph.D. in architectural history at Tokyo University and is emeritus professor at Tokyo University and specially-appointed professor at Kogakuin University. Fujimori has authored numerous books on modern architecture, city planning, street observation, teahouses, and gardens. His architectural projects include the Nira House (Leek House), which won the Japan Art Grand Prix, and the Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural University Dormitory, for which Fujimori received the prestigious Architectural Institute of Japan Award. He also designs and constructs "free-style" teahouses, including Takasugi-an, and others in Australia, Taiwan, Germany, England, Dubai, Denmark, and India.

With a "ghostly torch" passed down from Lafcadio Hearn, Davisson, accomplished author, translator, and folklorist delves into the depths of Japanese folklore to unearth 100 of the most bizarre and haunting creatures to ever grace myth and legend.

In this book you'll encounter a vast range of mysterious beings, from malevolent demons and chilling monsters to spectral ghosts and enchanted beasts. Davisson skillfully navigates the elusive realm of Yokai, shedding light on their mysteries and revealing their significance to the cultural tapestry of Japan.

Featuring iconic Yokai such as the enigmatic Amabie, the endearing Tofu Kozo, and the pitiful Kyokotsu, alongside lesser-known entities like the repulsive Akaname and the never before catalogued Kaiju, this book offers a comprehensive exploration of Japan's supernatural pantheon.

Modern Yokai art by esteemed artists such as Lili Chin, Emi Lenox, and Peach Momoko breathe new life into the age-old legends shared within. Illustrated with over 250 color woodblock prints and paintings, and packed with interesting facts and entertaining stories, this book transports readers into a realm where the line between myth and reality blurs.

"A modern day Lafcadio Hearn is picking up his ghostly torch. Zack Davisson is the author, translator, and folklorist following in Hearn's footsteps." —tofugu.com

About the Author:

Zack Davisson is an award-winning writer and the author of many bestselling books, including Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, Yokai Stories and Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan. He has translated Japanese bestsellers including Leiji Matsumoto's Space Battleship Yamato, Go Nagai's Devilman, and Shigeru Mizuki's Kitaro. He lectures on translation, manga and folklore at Duke, UCLA and the University of Washington, as well as contributing to major international exhibitions.

Japanese-style gardens have been a part of North American culture for over 150 years, delighting visitors with serene landscapes that instill tranquility. Quiet Beauty: The Japanese Gardens of North America provides an intimate look at the 25 most notable Japanese-style public gardens in the United States and Canada. Illustrated with more than 180 stunning color photographs, this book will be a welcome addition to the library of every garden enthusiast. This revised edition includes an amended list of 75 important gardens. It also describes major new additions at the featured gardens.

Japanese gardens include:
- The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
- Nitobe Memorial Garden at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver
- The Japanese Garden in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden
- The Garden of the Pine Winds in the Denver Botanic Gardena
- The Japanese Garden in the Montreal Botanical Garden
- Tenshin'en (The Garden of the Heart of Heaven) in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida
- The Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix in Margaret T. Hance Park
- The Garden of the Pine Wind, Garvan Woodland Garden in Hot Springs, Arkansas

About the Author:

David M. Cobb is a member of NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association) and PPA (Professional Photographers of America). He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Kendall H. Brown is Professor of Asian Art History in the Art Department at California State University Long Beach. He also recently served as Curator of Collections, Exhibitions and Programs at Pacific Asia Museum. He received BA and MA degrees in history and art history from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University. Dr. Brown publishes actively in several areas of Japanese art. He is a leading figure in the study of Japanese gardens in North America, having authored the book, Japanese-style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast.

Yokai are a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. In the Edo period (1603-1868), many artists, such as Hokusai Katsushika or Kuniyoshi Utagawa, created their works of featuring Yokai inspired by folklore or their own ideas. Yokai have attracted the artists and have been a common theme in art works until these days because of their unique forms and their mysterious behaviors.

This book is a visual collection of art works of Yokai in Japan since the Edo period. The works are not only paintings but also wood block prints, scrolls, ceramics, kimonos, children’s playthings such as board games, and more. This would be an attractive book for Yokai beginners/maniacs, and would be also a valuable source for designers and illustrators.

About the collection: Most of the items that will be featured in the book come from personal collections by Koichi Yumoto, who has the largest Yokai collection in Japan. He comments on the history of Yokai and explains about the items in the book.

About the Yumoto Koichi Collection:

This is the largest personal collection of Yokai art in Japan. Around 4,000 works which range from the Edo period to the present day. These include painting, woodbock prints, scrolls, ceramics, kimonos, wooden sculptures, magazines, children’s toys, board games, and more. In April 2019, the collection was housed in the new Yokai Museum called Miyoshi Mononoke Museum located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.　

Demons, sorcerers, ninjas……explaining the origins of Japan’s dark heroes from the perspective of Japanese art.

In many “dark fantasy” manga and anime, which are hugely popular today, characters use extraordinary abilities to carve out their destiny.
In Japanese art, too, characters who can be seen as prototypes of those manga and anime characters with extraordinary abilities, such as sorcerers or samurai who control magical beasts, have often been depicted. There are also works here and there, such as giants who slay demons and eat humans, or people whose hands stretch, that are reminiscent of world famous artworks. This timeless collection focuses mainly on creatures with “extraordinary abilities” who appear in ghost stories and legends from the Edo period and explains the current trends behind anime and manga.

Chapter I: Lineage of Figures with Supernatural Abilities
・The Gathering and Revelry of Supernatural Figures; Arhats, Immortal Hermits, Sorcerers, Japanese Mythological Deities
Chapter II: Astounding Physical Performances
・Shape-shifting and Extraordinary Mobility of Beings, Falling between Humans and Non-humans
Chapter III: Threatening Natural Phenomena
・Disastrous Destructibility of Fire, Water, Wind, Thunder, Light
Chapter IV: Concert of Beasts
・Terrifying yet Dependable Companions; Fierce, Mythical, Divine and Supernatural Beasts
Chapter V: Profusion of Supernatural Beings
・Embodiments of Human Desires of Flight, Cloning Selves, Curses, Enchantment
Chapter VI: Fantastical Battles
・Overflow of Life and Imagination; Demon-slaying, Dragon-slaying, Sorcerers’ Duels, Grand Conflicts

About the Author:

Shoko Haruki was born in Hokkaido, Japan in 1986. After working at the Hokkaido Museum, Haruki has been curator at the Edo-Tokyo Museum since 2017 specializing in Japanese art history.

Learn how to draw a bestiary of supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, and discover their origins as you go.

Yokai is a Japanese term for mystical beings that encompasses a range of supernatural phenomena, including demons, monsters, ghosts, and shapeshifters. Sometimes cute, sometimes frightening, but always enchanting, the creatures are often at the center of popular anime and manga stories. In Yokai Bestiary, learn how to draw 35 types of yokai while learning the folklore behind them.

Created for artists of all skill levels, this step-by-step drawing book shows you how to block in major shapes, provide proper shading to give dimension and depth to your drawings, and draw small but culturally significant details. Among the yokai types, you’ll learn to draw:

- Kitsune, fox demons with multiple tails
- Kappa, reptile-like spirits with a turtle's shell on their backs
- Tengu, monsters with bird-like characteristics
- Kodama, tree spirits 
- Nekomata, cats with two tails 
- And many more! 

With both drawing instruction and Japanese mythology to engage your mind, Yokai Bestiary will transport you to a fantastical land of beasts and spirits.

About the Author:

Lance Red is a fantasy illustrator and character designer living in Michigan. He provides detail-rich illustration assets for the game and book-publishing industries as well as private commissions. He has also recently started sharing more of his process with an education focus on his Patreon, which includes creating artwork for tabletop games, adventure books, conventions, and more as well as teaching budding artists through online library programs.

The magic and mastery of anime springs to life in this gorgeous celebration of the genre

A uniquely powerful form of artistic expression, anime has embraced complex and provocative ideas since its inception in the mid twentieth century.

This dynamic and wide-ranging book explores eighty key themes of the genre, from wars to natural disasters, nature to ecology, childhood to magic, dystopias to fables. It looks at more than one hundred masterpieces of Japanese animation, including Akira, Ghost in the Shell, One Piece, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies and Howl’s Moving Castle, to show how practitioners consistently balance tradition with modernity and how anime’s distinct style has influenced other forms of media such as video games, comic books and live-action films.

Covering an enormous range of talent — from Isao Takahata, Katsuhiro Ôtomo, and Makoto Shinkai to Studio Ghibli and Mamoru Oshii — it demonstrates how anime makes room for limitless creativity. Unfettered by the physical constraints of nature’s laws, these artists realize our deepest emotions and our wildest dreams.

About the Author:

Nathalie Bittinger is a senior lecturer in film studies at the University of Strasbourg, France. She has published several books on Asian cinema.

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Пролистать книгу   Anime Through the Looking Glass: Treasures of Japanese Animation  на сайте издательства.

An exclusive insight into glamour of Edo–period society through the medium of 140 exquisite ukiyo-e

This sumptuous book explores the important role that woodblock prints played in the fashionable world of Edo–period Japan (1603–1868). One hundred and forty ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) offer us a vivid view of the culture of entertainment, style, and glamour that developed in bustling urban centers. Expert curators bring to life the scenes and figures depicted, and highlight the fashions, dress accessories, and hairstyles shown in these colorful and compelling images by artists such as Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Hiroshige.

Benefitting from the V&A’s world-leading collection and including many rarely seen prints, this is a fascinating glimpse into an exciting world of celebrity actors, courtesans, kimono retailers, fabric workshops, makeup brands, theatre managers, brothel keepers, and restaurant owners.

About the Authors:

Anna Jackson is Keeper, Asia Department at the V&A. Masami Yamada is Curator, Asia Department at the V&A

This book presents tattoos in Japan with all their astounding richness and sophistication.

The history of this unique folk art, its meaning, social background, and evolution as well as a collection of rare interviews with master tattooists made over the past thirty years.

In the world of tattoo art, few traditions can rival the elaborate and refined artistry of Japanese tattoos. In this richly illustrated book, The Tattooed Body by the French historian and journalist who specialises in Japan and Korea Phillipe Pons, readers will find a wealth of detailed information about the history of this unique folk art, its relation to literature and art plus great colour photographs of their work. Remarkable for the richness of their iconography, the balance of their compositions, and their refinement in details, Japanese tattoos have seduced since the fifteenth century Western travellers, merchants and later, in the 18th and 19th century sailors, soldiers, eccentrics and artists such as Degas, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Yet, despite its cultural significance and aesthetic beauty, while recognised worldwide, tattoos don't share in Japan itself the status and official recognition and support of other traditional art forms such as "the way of tea", the flower arrangement (Ikebana), or Kabuki theatre.

The book explains why and shows the historical influence of Japanese tattooing on the worldwide tattoo community and its integration into the modern global cultural landscape. Readers will learn about the shift from "brocade skins" covering the entire body to the current Japanese tattoo renaissance where "one-point" tattoos are favoured by young people which combine ancient motifs and anime, to the point where traditionalists are wondering if the "tattoo" is losing its authenticity.

With over 270 illustrations, this book is a powerful tribute to the artistry, skill, and enduring charm of Japanese tattooing. Perfect for tattoo enthusiasts, this comprehensive and visually stunning book is a must-have also for East Asian art lovers and those with an appreciation for cultural traditions.

About the Author:

Philippe Pons (10 August 1942) is a French historian, specialist in Japan and Korea, and the Tokyo correspondent for the daily Le Monde, covering current events in the Far East. Along with Christian Sautter, in 1973 he co-founded the Centre for Research on Japan (CRJ), a research institute dedicated to contemporary Japan, now part of the prestigious French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and served as its co-director. His first articles for Le Monde date from 1974. In 1976, he became the daily's correspondent in Japan, from where he also covered the Philippines, South Korea and North Korea, countries which he visited twenty times between 1979 and 2020. As a specialist he is the author of many books and articles on the history, culture and politics of Japan and North Korea, and with the historian Pierre Francois Souyri, of a volume about the history of sexuality and eroticism in Japan (all publications in French). Aside from five years spent in Rome, he has lived in Tokyo since the late 1970s.

Featuring striking photography by an expert in the field, this exploration of Japanese Brutalist architecture celebrates the surprising beauty and grace of buildings forged in concrete.

Emerging in the devastating aftermath of World War II, Brutalist architecture in Japan is characterized by its geometric shapes, functionality, and unconventional use of concrete ― which is often left unfinished to showcase the material’s inherent textures and imperfections. Japanese Brutalism represented a radical departure from traditional Japanese architecture, drawing inspiration from the global Brutalist movement but incorporating unique elements that reflect Japan’s culture and history.

A leading expert on Japanese Brutalism, Paul Tulett has traveled throughout the country to photograph extraordinary examples of this aesthetic. In over 200 dynamic and impeccable photographs he captures the elements and paradoxes inherent in the buildings themselves: the rawness of concrete juxtaposed with elegant design; a harmonious integration into urban landscapes; and a global, modernist approach that maintains traditional Japanese elements.

Highlighting the work of architects such as Kenzo Tange, Tadao Ando, and Arata Isozaki, this unique volume shows how a blend of global influences and Japanese sensibilities has left an indelible mark on the architectural landscape of Japan, making Japanese Brutalism an intensely captivating and enduring style.

About the Author:

Paul Tulett has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning and Environment and has been photographing Japan’s architecture since 2018. He features his images on his popular Instagram account: brutal_zen. His work has been published in a number of publications including The Guardian and Fast Company. He lives in Okinawa, Japan.

Beautifully executed illustrations and in-depth commentry are presented in this excellent introduction to the Chinese language and its millieu

Written Chinese can call upon about 40,000 characters, many of which originated some 6,000 years ago as little pictures of everyday objects used by the ancients to communicate with one another. To convey more abstract ideas or concepts, the Chinese stylised and combined their pictographs. For instance, the character for "man" - a straight back above two strong legs - becomes, with the addition of a head and shoulders and arms held sternly akimbo, the character for "official".

This book, modelled after a classic compilation of the Chinese language done in the 18th century, introduces readers to the 214 root pictographs or symbols upon which this writing system, whose rich complexities hold a wealth of cultural meaning, is based. These key characters, called radicals, are all delightfully presented in this volume, with their graphic development traced stage-by-stage to the present representation, where even now (in many of them) one can easily make out what was originally pictured-with the author's guidance.

Centuries ago, when the Japanese took up writing, they also adopted these symbols, though they gave them different names in their own spoken language. Each of the 214 classic radicals is charmingly explored by the author, both for its etymology and for what it reveals about Chinese history and culture. Chinese characters are marvels of graphic design, and this book even shows the proper way to write each radical, stroke by stroke. Finally, there are also samples of each radical combined with other radicals and character elements to demonstrate how new characters are formed-some 8,000 have been added to the language since the 18th century. With all its expertly executed calligraphic illustrations and fascinating commentary, this book serves as an excellent introduction to Chinese writing and its milieu.

About the Author:

Edoardo Fazzioli, who has studied Chinese language and culture at Hong Kong University and is a member of the Italo-Chinese Institute for Economic and Cultural Exchange, has written newspaper articles and scholarly pieces on Chinese life and civilization.

Inspired by the gift-giving tradition of her Japanese heritage, acclaimed gift-wrapping and packaging artist Megumi Inouye shares her clever techniques and creative designs for wrapping with repurposed materials, while also exploring how wrapping and gift-giving can be acts of gratitude that fosters connection and community.

With a combination of inventive wrapping designs, inspiring personal essays, and step-by-step techniques, Megumi Inouye invites readers to transform the act of wrapping into a gratitude practice. Drawing on the gift-giving traditions of her Japanese heritage, Inouye explores how the act of giving a thoughtfully wrapped gift can be a creative, caring act for both the giver and the receiver. Using recycled and repurposed materials, Inouye's approach inspires readers to think intentionally about the presentation of every gift, whether it's a tip for an unseen hotel housekeeper, a simple gift of fresh fruit for a neighbor, or a special birthday gift for a beloved family member. Detailed step-by-step photos teach Inouye's artful approach to every aspect of wrapping-including tape-free folding, paper and fabric bows, clever message tags, and one-of-a-kind approaches for odd-shaped items-and guide readers in creating their own unique gift presentations.

About the Author:

Megumi Inouye is a gift wrapping and packaging artist. Known for her sustainable wrapping designs and creative innovations, she encourages repurposing, utilizing everyday things around us and using organic and recyclable items. She attributes her passion for gift wrapping to her Japanese heritage and the cultural values that underlie the meaning behind the art of giving. Her work has been featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and in Yahoo! Lifestyle, American Craft Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Megumi splits her time between San Francisco and Sonoma in Northern CA. You can find her online at giftwrapbymegumi.com.

A striking and unusual view of the rich variety of Japanese art.

Offering a superb insight into a wide array of Japanese art, the book highlights – close-up and in colour – outstanding examples of design and craft in prints, paintings and screens, metalwork, ceramics, wood, stone and lacquer and will provide endless creative inspiration.

By showing the complete artwork alongside enlarged details – sometimes virtually invisible to the naked eye – intriguing comparisons can be drawn between seemingly unrelated pieces and the full craftsmanship can be seen.

This title is ideal for anyone interested in decorative arts and design, general readers, students and art historians alike.

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Beautifully illustrated with an array of Japanese art, this book offers a closer look at the rich variety of styles, decoration, motifs and patterns – and the sheer craftsmanship – of Japanese culture. Opening with an introduction that asks ‘What is Japanese art?’, this book presents a selection of striking and fascinating art from Japan, organised into a series of thematic chapters in which the author provides cultural context while pointing out exceptional features. By showing the complete artwork alongside enlarged details – sometimes virtually invisible to the naked eye – intriguing comparisons can be drawn between seemingly unrelated pieces. The selection of illustrations evokes the hand and eye of the most accomplished Japanese craftsmen and women past and present. Offering a superb insight into a wide array of Japanese art, the book highlights – close up and in colour – outstanding examples of design and craft in prints, paintings and screens, metalwork, ceramics, wood, stone and lacquer and will provide endless creative inspiration.

Founded in 1852, the V&A has acquired Japanese objects from its earliest years and played a significant role in bringing the art of Japan to the attention of designers, manufacturers and the British public.

This tradition continues to the present day and in this new book some of the world’s leading researchers in this field bring their attention to the V&A’s unparalleled collection. Ten chapters focus on subjects such as the effects of Buddhism on the country’s arts and culture; the samurai; the highly aestheticized tea ceremony, which has been a notable feature of Japanese culture from the Medieval period up to the present day; Ukiyo-e and the graphic arts (prints, illustrated books, paintings and screens from the Edo period); exchanges with the West and imperialism, right up to modern and contemporary crafts and design including manga and high-tech design.

About the Author:

Gregory Irvine is Senior Curator in the V&A's Asian Department, where he specializes in Japanese metalwork.