Japanese Art & Culture

by Kamini Khanduri

Book Overview

When does a poem become a picture? What is the tea ceremony? How were the first color woodblock prints made? Arts and crafts offer a window into Japanese culture, reflecting its history, technology,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0739866095
• ISBN13: 9780739866092
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Raintree
• Length: 56 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.3" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 11 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 6 to 9

Customer Reviews

A fascinating introduction to the art forms of the Japanese

With the success of the Tom Cruise film "The Last Samurai" doing for this generation of students what the mini-series version of "Shogun" did a couple of decades earlier, interest in Japanese culture should be on the rise in schools. "Japanese Art & Culture" provides an introduction that establishes the great importance of natural materials being used in Japanese art, which reveals a great deal about Japanese culture. Kamini Khanduri devotes sections to ten different types of Japanese art.This book provides a background and examples of painting on everything from folding screens to decorated fans, woodblock prints including the famous "The Great Wave" by Hokusai, sculptures in wood and bronze, metalwork including samurai armor, pottery in clay and porcelain, lacquer ware, the architecture of temples and castles, gardens, calligraphy as poetic art, and the theater traditions of Noh and Kabuki plays. Khanduri's emphasis is on how every piece of Japanese art tells us something about both the environment and the culture in which it was developed. The idea is for young readers to understand how and why the Japanese made their art.Khanduri takes pains to explain these details throughout the book. I almost want to say the book is under-illustrated because there is never more than one color photograph on any page in the volume. However, the examples that are provided are choice, from a late 12th-century hand scroll showing a rabbit and frog wrestling and Ogata Korin's painting "Irises" to a netsuke made of ivory called "Hotei and his Treasure Bag" and Hon'ami Koetsu's early 17th-century lacquered writing box. There are also contemporary photographs of The Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto and Himeji Castle. There is a lot covered here in terms of these various forms of Japanese art but Khanduri provides a concise introduction to each type so that young readers get a sense of the techniques, designs, and styles involved. Those who only got a glimpse of Japanese art in "The Last Samurai" will find a much more revealing look at it in this book. The back of the book includes a map and timeline, ideas for further research, and a glossary of unfamiliar terms and index. Other titles in the World Art & Culture series include volumes on Africa, Indian, and Mexican art and culture.