With over 300 stunning photographs and woodblock prints along with extensive historical and cultural commentary, Japanese Swords is the ultimate authority on Samurai weaponry.

Historically, Japanese warriors considered their swords to be more elevated than simple weaponry. Their swords were both lethal tools and divine companions -- social and religious icons. Traditionally worn by the samurai as a sign of social status, the Japanese sword represented the junction between the ruling military class and those whom they ruled. Moreover, the samurai sword was a technological and artistic marvel. Many scholars consider it to be the finest sword ever constructed.

Concerning symbolism and historical importance, no other blade comes close to the Japanese sword. With a historical, iconographical, and technological perspective, author Cohn M. Roach provides an in-depth study of these magnificent weapons in Japanese Swords. This richly illustrated sword book weaves the blade's primary influences together, tracking its history and illuminating its progress from infancy to grandeur. By studying the evolution of the Japanese sword from this perspective, we better understand Japan and its warrior archetype.

Combining research materials from multiple disciplines, Roach uses his expertise as an educator to guide readers through the sword's rise to greatness in a unique way. This book discusses the history, development, and spiritual symbolism of the sword, as well as the esoteric metallurgical techniques used in making it. It also covers the intense training practices used by skilled swordsmen.

Japanese Swords also includes accompanying online videos featuring a beautifully-filmed documentary that explores the traditional swordmaker's craft, an introduction to the Japanese sword at a sword shop in Kyoto and a visit to a dojo for a beginner's class in the medieval sword-drawing art called iaido.

About the Author:

Colin M. Roach, M.Ed. lives in the high mountains of Utah with his wife and three sons. He is a private school administrator with expertise in the areas of differentiated teaching and learning, and a member of the All Kinds of Minds Institute's national teaching faculty. Mr. Roach is an avid student of Japanese history, culture, and martial arts. Four generations of familial connection to Japan have fueled Mr. Roach's passionate study of Japan's archetypal warrior culture. In addition to his academic study of sword-related symbolism, he has trained with some of the top teachers of aikido and iaido in Japan and America. He holds the ranks of Youdan (4th degree) in iado and Sandan (3rd degree) in aikido. He also holds the teaching title ""Shidoin" in both arts. Mr. Roach often travels to teach sword-related symbolism, traditional Japanese swordsmanship, the etiquette involved when handling a Japanese sword, and iado's role in cultural preservation.

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Пролистать книгу Japanese Swords: Cultural Icons of a Nation: Cultural Icons of a Nation: The History, Metallurgy and Iconography of the Samurai Sword на Google Books.

Yokai Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's traditional monsters and creepy-crawlies.

Yokai are ethereal sorts of beings, like ghosts, nearly always encountered at night; everyone has their own take on how they might look in real life and what sorts of specific characteristics and abilities they might have. This book is the result of long hours spent poring over data and descriptions from a variety of sources, including microfilms of eighteenth-century illustrations from the National Diet Library in Tokyo, in order to bring you detailed information on almost 50 of these amazing creatures for the first time in English.

Illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential appearance of each yokai. Alongside each illustration is a series of "data points," with each yokai's significant features at a glance -- especially handy for any potential close encounters.

Yokai Attack! will surely convince you that Japan's tradition of fascinating monsters is a long one -- yet far from being history.
Book 1 of 3 in the Yokai Attack! series. Others include Ninja Attack! and Yurei Attack!

About the Author:

Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda are a husband and wife team who run a Tokyo-based translation company that specializes in producing the English versions of Japanese video games, comic books, and literature. They are the co-authors of Ninja Attack! and Yurei Attack!, both originally published by Kodansha International and with new expanded editions from Tuttle Publishing.

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Пролистать книгу Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide на Google Books.

An insider's look at the myriad styles of private homes of Japan, showing how Japanese interior design continues to evolve in a new era.

Exploring the art and craft of Japanese residential interiors, author Mihoko Iida provides an insider's look into the wide-ranging interior design of her country's private homes. Featuring twenty-eight exemplary residences around Japan – from urban apartments to mountain and seaside escapes – the book showcases aspirational minimalist homes alongside functional live/work spaces and traditional historic dwellings.

Throughout, Iida demonstrates the enduring philosophy of integrating the natural landscape into the home, and details the influences and continuing evolution of Japanese interior design. The book also showcases homes designed by some of Japan's top architects, such as Kengo Kuma, nendo, Koji Fujii, Arata Endo, and Takamitsu Azuma.

'It’s not just a sumptuous survey of the country’s design - it’s also a love letter to the spaces we inhabit.' - T: The New York Times Style Magazine

About the Authors:

Mihoko Iida is the executive features editor of Vogue Japan.

Danielle Demetriou is a British writer and editor who has lived in Japan since 2007, and is often found traveling across the country, writing design, architecture and lifestyle stories for international magazines, newspapers and books.

Superb Yokai images from the world's leading museums and private collections!

Japan's vast pantheon of supernatural creatures includes demons (yokai), monsters, ogres (oni), ghosts (yurei) and magicians--mythical beings from folklore and popular culture which continue to thrill readers of traditional stories and manga today.

This richly illustrated book by Andreas Marks, the leading authority on Japanese woodblock prints, presents authentic illustrations and descriptions of 100 different creatures, including:

- Bakeneko: Monster cats in human form who lick lamp oil and prey on humans born in the year of the Rat
- Han'nya: Female demons with sharp and pointed horns, metallic eyes and a smirking smile
- Hihi: Large ape-like monsters who live in the mountains and have superhuman strength, enabling them to kidnap and kill humans
- Mikoshi-nyudo: Yokai with an enormously extended necks who appear only at night
- And many more!

The striking visual examples in this book are drawn from the rich canon of early Japanese prints, books, and paintings--sourced from leading museums, libraries and private collections worldwide. They show the "original" forms and appearances of the creatures which form the basis for all subsequent depictions.

Also included are two long handscrolls from the Minneapolis Institute of Art (A Collection of Monsters and Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) which are reproduced here for the very first time.

Prints and Paintings sourced from the following list of museums, libraries and private collections:

Art Institute of Chicago
Christie's, London & New York
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Kyoto University, Main Library
Library of Congress
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Minneapolis Institute of Art
National Museum of Japanese History
Princeton University Library
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Smithsonian Libraries

About the Author:

Dr. Andreas Marks is the Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art and director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. From 2008 to 2013 he was the director and chief curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in California. He has a Ph.D. from Leiden University in the Netherlands and a master's degree in East Asian Art History from the University of Bonn, Germany. A specialist of Japanese woodblock prints, he is the author of 18 books. In 2014, he received the International Ukiyo-e Society award in recognition of his research and publications. In 2018, he received a book award from the International Fine Print Dealers Association.

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Пролистать книгу Japanese Yokai and Other Supernatural Beings: Authentic Paintings and Prints of 100 Ghosts, Demons, Monsters and Magicians на Google Books.

A modern approach to traditional Japanese floral design.

Award-winning flower designer Shinichi Nagatsuka explains how anyone can create beautiful arrangements using his signature N Style method. Easy to follow, it is based on accent lines rather than the complex system of rules used for traditional Ikebana.

Accent lines are the natural shapes of the flowers themselves -- which means vertical arrangements require a different eye than horizontal or round ones, for example. By understanding how the shapes of flowers and plants affect your design, you'll learn to choose just the right ones to achieve your desired look and feel.

With over 280 color photos and 42 projects, Modern Japanese Ikebana unlocks the mysteries of the art of Ikebana. By following the N Style method, you can bring a natural flow to your arrangements, achieving balance and overall harmony of design.

About the Author:

Shinichi Nagatsuka is an award-winning floral designer whose work has graced such events as the ceremony marking the Dalai Lama's visit to Japan and others. His authored works cover ikebana at all levels, from the most basic to the most intricate, including Tuttle's Easy Ikebana. He is an active instructor who has made numerous television appearances in his native Japan, in which he demonstrates design basics and tutorials for quick flower arrangements. He is president of N Flower Design International, an instructional network teaching floral design throughout Japan. You can watch his popular videos at youtube.com/user/charisumaflower2.

Learn how to create a tranquil outdoor space at home with this practical and inspiring guide!

With instructive drawings and step-by-step techniques, Inside Your Japanese Garden walks you through designing and creating your very own Japanese garden. From small projects like benches and gates, to larger undertakings like bridges and mud walls, this book provides a wide variety of ways to enhance the space around your home, no matter the size. Instructions on how to work with stone, mud and bamboo -- as well as a catalogue of the 94 plant varieties used in the gardens shown in the book -- round out this complete guide.

This book also features 19 gardens that author Sadao Yasumoro has designed and built in Japan, and some -- like those at Visvim shop in Tokyo and at Yushima Tenjin in Tokyo--are open to the public. From small tsuboniwa courtyard gardens to a large backyard stroll garden with water features, stairs and walls, these real-life inspirations will help spark your own garden plan.

These inspirational garden projects include:

- Tea Garden for an Urban Farmhouse featuring a clay wall with a split-bamboo frame and a stone base
- The Landslide That Became a Garden with a terraced slope, trees, bushes, long grasses and moss
- A Buddha's Mountain Retreat of Moss and Stone with vertical-split bamboo and brushwood fencing
- Paradise in an Urban Jungle with a pond, Japanese-style bridge, and stone lanterns

Each garden is beautifully photographed by Hironori Tomino and many have diagrams and drawings to show the essential elements used in the planning and construction.

About the Authors:

Joseph Cali was born and raised in New York City and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in Fine Art and Painting. He has lived and worked in Japan as an interior designer, graphic designer, copywriter and illustrator for over 30 years. His work has appeared in numerous books and publications. He is the coauthor, with Azby Brown, of The Japanese Dream House. His other books include The New Zen Garden and Create Your Own Japanese Garden.

Sadao Yasumoro, now in his eighties, has been a Japanese garden designer and builder for over 60 years. After high school he traveled all around Japan to study nature and visit the country's great gardens, and was deeply moved by the beauty of garden landscapes made by unknown masters. He went on to study under some of Japan's most famous garden designers, including Katsuo Saito. Yasumuro's work has appeared in many publications in Japan. This is his first book in English.

Illustrations: over 300 photographs and plans; 20 inspirational projects

A detailed examination of the beautiful and sensitively realized addition to the famed Portland Japanese Garden by contemporary Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

Kengo Kuma: Portland Japanese Garden introduces the star Japanese architect's first public project in the United States. Kuma won the Portland Japanese Garden invitational competition by proposing a design that, while executed with contemporary materials and the latest construction technology, also builds on the principles of traditional architecture and craftsmanship. The resulting group of small buildings superbly blends with its magnificent natural environment and provides an outstanding example of Kuma's artistry of seamlessly connecting nature and architecture as well as past and present without falling into the trap of mimicry or sentimentality.

The book includes chapters on the reverence of nature and Japanese culture, on architecture and gardens in Japan, on the architecture of Kengo Kuma beyond the garden, and on craftsmanship and design, as well as on the new buildings and the garden itself, which is widely considered the most beautiful such garden outside Japan.

About the Authors:

Botond Bognar is Professor and Edgar A. Tafel Endowed Chair in Architecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Professor Bognar is an internationally renowned scholar of the history and theories of contemporary Japanese architecture and urbanism. He has written some twenty books and monographs, more than thirty chapters to books, and many essays and articles in professional journals. He is the recipient of several distinguished awards and recognitions including an Arnold O. Beckman Fellowship, a Japan Foundation Fellowship, the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) Cultural Appreciation Prize, and many others. Balázs Bognár is an architect and partner at Kengo Kuma & Associates in Tokyo, Japan, and served as project architect for the "cultural crossing" at the Portland Japanese Garden. Kengo Kuma is a celebrated Japanese architect and principal of Kengo Kuma and Associates. He is a professor at the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Tokyo.

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Пролистать книгу Kengo Kuma: Portland Japanese Garden

A lavishly illustrated history of Japanese screens — limited to 3,000 numbered copies

Japanese screens (byobu, meaning “barrier against the wind”) are made of wooden lattices with two to twelve panels, covered with a paper or fabric canvas. They are unique for being beautiful artworks as well as portable furnishings, acting as backdrops for court ceremonies or partitions for intimate tea services. Artists have embraced screens as three-dimensional objects, creating dynamic compositions that guide the viewer’s eye from one panel to the next.

This sumptuous book explores the 1,300-year history of Japanese screens. The authors, leading experts on Japanese art and culture, describe how screens developed from the eighth to the twenty-first century, from their ceremonial use in palaces and temples to their functional and decorative use in ordinary Japanese homes. They examine the stylistic evolution of screens and the wide variety of subjects, such as animals, the seasons, The Tale of Genji, and calligraphic designs.

Bound in the Japanese style and housed in a handsome clamshell box, this volume also comes with a poster-sized reproduction of an exceptional screen, suitable for framing. Japanese Screens will be an essential addition to any art lover’s library.

About the Authors:

Anne-Marie Christin was professor emeritus of classical literature at the University of Paris, founder of the Center for the Study of Writing and Image (CEEI), and author of A History of Writing.

Torahiko Terada is a professor of comparative culture and literature at the University of Tokyo.

Claire-Akiko Brisset is a professor of Japanese cultural history at the University of Geneva.

Make simple and fun paper craft models with this easy origami book and paper kit.

The ancient art of origami originated in Japan, where it is steeped in traditional values. The 20 models presented in this kit include many with strong symbolic meanings, such as the carp, the frog and the crane, which symbolize longevity, good luck and perseverance. Also included in this kit are paper models which have practical uses, such as a bag in which to store spices or powdered medications, the masu box for containing small gifts, and uniquely shaped notes with elaborate closures. The more playful side of origami is represented as well: the stylized sumo wrestler with realistic moves has entertained Japanese children for centuries, and the paper Samurai hat is fun to play with.

Origami is an ideal activity for children since paper folding develops dexterity and creativity. Origami is also a craft based on a few fundamental 3D folding techniques, so Japanese Origami for Beginners Kit is a useful starting point for fans of all ages and abilities. Although this book is aimed at origami beginners, it contains projects suitable for origami fans of all ages and abilities and is the perfect book for all those who enjoy making things with their hands.

This book opens with an illustrated history of origami that highlights the masters and evolution of this pastime and art form up until the present day. A glossary of important origami folding symbols shows you how to follow the diagrams, which are commonly used to indicate how to fold origami models. Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions follow for each of the 20 models. For those who prefer to see the models folded, this kit includes complete video instructions on a free DVD. It also has 72 high-quality origami folding papers, all decorated with a wide selection of traditional Japanese designs and patterns.

All of the folds are simple enough to be origami-for-kids projects and are a great way to learn origami. None of the projects require paint or glue; so just grab the included origami paper and start folding right away!

Over the years, Japanese gardeners have fine-tuned a distinctive set of pruning techniques that coax out the essential characters of their garden trees, or niwaki. In this highly practical book, Western gardeners are encouraged to draw upon the techniques and sculpt their own garden trees to unique effect. After first discussing the principles that underpin the techniques, the author offers in-depth guidelines for shaping pines, azaleas, conifers, broadleaved evergreens, bamboos and deciduous trees. Throughout the text, step-by-step illustrations accompany the instructions, while abundant photographs and anecdotes bring the ideas surrounding niwaki vividly to life.

About the Author:

Jake Hobson draws upon years of experience with Japanese gardens and landscaping. He spent a year at a nursery in Osaka, and in 2004 started his own business Niwaki, Japanese Garden Tools. A keen observer of the artistry of gardens, Jake received his bachelor's degree in sculpture. He lives in England.

A fantastic journey through stories featuring a mixture of myth, excitement and mystery in 200 works by the most frightening Japanese artists of the 18th and 19th centuries
The long Pax Tokugawa was founded on the blood of 40,000 severed enemy heads. Indeed, 1600 marked the end of the period of wars that saw the defeat of the troops opposed to General Ieyasu Tokugawa.

The absence of wars, banishing the memories and horrors of past massacres, favoured the development of epic tales that gave rise to dark and terrifying atmospheres, such as the game of the hundred candles, a test of courage in which a handful of warriors meet on a summer night to tell each other scary stories populated by monsters from the national tradition.

So we have the Joro¯ gumo, comely women who reveal their true nature as enormous spiders to their victims; the Tanuki, endearing badgers able to transform themselves; the Bakeneko, monstrous cats; the Kappa, aquatic beings that pester women; the Ningyo, mermaids whose fragrant flesh can give men renewed youth or an excruciating death. The macabre ritual of the hundred candles is the great idea behind this original project that presents 200 works from the 18th and 19th centuries, including prints, rare antique books, clothes, weapons, swords, a samurai suit of armour, as well as seventy-seven precious netsuke, small ivory sculptures, from the Bertocchi private collection and a ten-metre long scroll that tells the story of Shutendoji, a mythological creature (Oni) at the head of an army of monsters that haunted Mount Oe near Kyoto.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition at the Villa Reale in Monza, the book is a real journey of discovery of Japanese imagery, ranging from Hokusai’s famous manga notebooks (alongside his other masterpieces) to the works of Loputyn, the contemporary illustrator well known to hotaku manga enthusiasts.

Following the former best-selling title; Heroes and Heroines, this title showcases the most trendy and updated illustrations by about 60 prominent character designers covering both video games and animation. Featuring a bilingual interview with Shiro Miwa, a leading comic artist who is also a character designer of 7th Dragon 2020 (cover art). Featured animations and video games designed from these titles: Girls and Panzer; Kantai Collection; Kill la Kill; Attack on Titan; METAL GEAR SOLID V; and much more.

Perfect the gift of giving. The only modern, practical guide to the ancient art of Japanese gift wrapping. Discover how to use Furoshiki - beautiful, reusable wrapping cloth, to make gift-giving extra special and joyful, and kinder to the planet too.

In Japan, gift-giving is an important cultural ritual, and the presentation is just as important as the gift itself. Learn 30 exquisite yet easy wrapping styles, involving knotted or intricately folded Furoshiki cloth, to wrap bottles, bouquets of flowers and other presents. You can also use Furoshiki to wrap and carry all sorts of everyday items.

With no cutting, sticking or waste, give thoughtful, beautiful gifts and say goodbye to single-use wrapping paper, bags and packaging for good.

About the Author:

Tomoko Kakita is a Japanese Furoshiki expert and an interior architect based in London, UK. She designs and sells her beautiful, nature-inspired Furoshiki at maspacedesign.com

"I lived in a haunted apartment." Davisson opens this definitive work on Japan's ghosts, or yurei, with a personal tale about the spirit world. Shifting from anecdotes to deep research to translation of ancient ghost stories, he explores the persistence of yurei in modern Japan and their continued popularity throughout the West. Colour images of yurei appear throughout the book.

About the Author:

Zack Davisson is an award-winning translator, writer, and scholar of Japanese folklore and ghosts. He is the author of Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan (Chin Music Press), translator of Eisner Award-winning and Harvey-nominated Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan, and a 2014 nominee of the Japanese-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize. Other translation works include the famous folklore comic Kitaro (Drawn and Quarterly) and the works of Satoshi Kon (Dark Horse).

A major survey of the Japanese designers, artisans, manufacturers and technologies that have shaped the world of modern design

A dedication to craft and the finest production quality have been an integral part of culture and day-to-day life in Japan for centuries. For the Japanese, the concept of design is not limited to functionality or materiality, but wholly connected with ancient culture and rituals. In this sense, a chair is much more than what you sit on, a cup more than what you drink from: these objects are to be reflected upon, to be touched and cherished.

As mass manufacturing became widespread in the post-war period, fascinating cross-cultural exchanges began to take place between Japan and the West. These gave rise not only to timeless objects of great beauty and utility, but innovations in materials, form and technology. Far beyond the icons of Japanese design – the perfectly weighted Kikkoman soy sauce bottle, Yanagi’s butterfly stool, the Sony Walkman – the products and objects that have emerged from the country over the past seven decades, few of which have been widely exported, serve to delight and draw admiration. In recent years, a new generation of designers – Nendo, Yoshioka – have taken Japanese creativity into entirely new territory, reconceptualizing the very meaning of design.

No attempt has been made to present a complete overview of Japanese design, until now. Showcasing over eighty designers, hundreds of objects, and contributions from both Japanese and Western design experts, this volume will become the definitive work on the subject for many years to come.

Contents List:

Foreword by Maasaki Kanai • Introduction: The Craft of Japanese Design • The Design Titans • The Designers and Everyday Icons: Tables & Chairs • Essay by Naomi Pollock • Food & Drink • Essay by Makoto Shimazaki • On&Off • Essay by Shinji Hamada • Posters & Packaging • Warp & Weft • Essay by Matilda McQuaid • Lifestyle & Leisure • A–Z of Designers

About the Author:

Naomi Pollock is an American architect who writes about Japanese design and architecture. Her work has appeared in numerous publications on both sides of the Pacific, including A+U, Dwell, Kinfolk, Wallpaper* and Architectural Record, for whom she is the Special International Correspondent. In addition, she is the author of several books, including Modern Japanese House, Made in Japan: 100 New Products, Jutaku: Japanese Houses and Sou Fujimoto. In 2018, she was selected to join the College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects. Masaaki Kanai is President of Ryohin Keikaku, the retailer and manufacturer of the leading Japanese brand Muji.