Japan Books

This is an unusual book--short, succinct but filled with first person accounts of marines who were there, and writing/speaking in their own words, not paraphrased. My father was with the 1/21st of the Third Marine Division and I have his letters which describe his experiences as a Bn Surgeon with that unit (3d Division). He describes his experiences in letters in a kind of fragmentary way, but this book gives a picture of the flow of action as they move across the island, especially around the Motoyama #2. Well worth reading. Harry Mustard

I highly recommend this first-hand account to anyone who enjoys WWII history or history in general. One of the best books of the battle for Iwo Jima ever written. This is a well written book. Patrick Caruso was a true hero and patriot. An extraordinary man from the Greatest Generation. You will thoroughly enjoy and love reading this book. I wish the publisher would have included a map of Iwo Jima as the author had intended.

Now in a new edition with a forward by David G. Rathgeber, Nightmare on Iwo Jima: A Marine in Combat is the true-life memories of author Pat Caruso, who was a green lieutenant in the Marines who rapidly became the company commander when the five officers who ranked above him were killed or wounded in the bloodshed of the Pacific Theater. Unflinchingly honest descriptions of terrible fighting, incredible bravery, and the intense stress of being in constant contact with an implacable enemy characterize Nightmare on Iwo Jima. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this eyewitness account, not for the weak-stomached yet highly recommended.

An engrossing, very well written book detailing the somewhat peculiar nature of the Japanese "failed hero." In contrast to the Western ideal, the Japanese do not seem to require their heroes to "win" or "succeed." Ten chapters describe ten different historical figures (or groups) throughout Japanese history who fit this oxymoronic label. Anyone interested in Japanese history would find this book at once fascinating, inciteful, and educational.

I lived in Japan for two and a half years, and cannot speak highly enough of The Nobility of Failure.

In TNOF, Ivan Morris provides a much-needed look at - to most westerners, anyway - one of the oddest aspects of Japanese culture - the self-immolating hero. TNOF offers a rundown of Japanese populist heroes from the past 2,000 years - all of whom are doomed to complete and utter failure - and provides a convincing analysis of why Japanese culture produces such men, and why their failures actually raise their status in the eyes of many of their fellow citizens.

Morris was perhaps the leading Japan scholar of his day, but even he finds many of his subjects bizaare. He deftly, though not necessarily disrespectfully, pokes fun at the absurdity of many of their situations. Not many scholars can make you laugh while they make you think.

I lived in Japan for two and a half years, have visited the country several times since, and cannot speak highly enough of this book.

In TNOF, Ivan Morris provides a much-needed look at - to most westerners, anyway - one of the oddest aspects of Japanese culture, the self-immolating hero. TNOF offers a rundown of Japanese populist heroes from the past 2,000 years - all of whom are doomed to complete and utter failure - and provides a convincing analysis of why Japanese culture produces such men, and why their failures actually raise their status in the eyes of many of their fellow citizens.

Morris was perhaps the leading Japan scholar of his day, but even he finds many of his subjects bizaare. He deftly, though not necessarily disrespectfully, pokes fun at the absurdity of many of their situations. Not many scholars can make you laugh while they make you think.

Not only is this book interesting, it is fun! The illustrations are creative, colorful, catchy and in the style of hokusai. Although it is probably a children's book, I love it. It is also a good read.

As a librarian I see many, many books and this is a definite favorite. The simple story of the great Ukiyoe master, Hokusai, and his young apprentice, Tojiro, is told with humor and feeling. Along the way, there are lessons about being young and old, about persistence and talent. Many of the stories about Hokusai and his artwork are based on fact, such as his most famous Great Wave of Kanagawa from the collection Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji and his "thought-up drawings" in Hokusai Manga. As wonderful as the story is, the illustrations may be the very best part of this book. Francois Place's paintings are a story in themselves. The illustrations are colorful, well executed, with a subtle oriental flavor. Interspersed with Hokusai's own woodblock prints, they appeal to adults and children who love art, Japan, or just a warm and heartfelt story. I recommend Old Man Mad About Drawing to children, parents, and anyone who loves interesting stories blended with captivating art.

Francois Place has cleverly built this story about a mentoring relationship between the revered artist, Hokusai, and a young apprentice he names "sparrow." In the process of learning to serve "the old man mad about drawing" the sparrow, Tojiro, is introduced to the progressive stages of Hokusai's art. At first the old man seemed scraggly & wild to the boy; then he grew to appreciate the humor & many-faceted talents of the artist. Tojiro was taught to read, make inks and serve in many capacities.

Each time I hold this book the 'feel' of it pleases me. The font, Perpetua, is discussed in the back. There is also a Glossary - illustrated, naturally! The book's illustrations are plentiful and filled with the energy of Hokusai's "manga" - - the sketchbooks which also brought him fame. Because Francois Place is both author & illustrator of "The Old Man . . ." he had the freedom to paint chapter headings as vertical 'capsules' showing what each chapter is about. Place has a strong individual style that has brought him success as an illustrator, & Reviewer mcHAIKU is eager to search for his other titles.

The warmth of the relationship between teacher and student is shown when, during a walk together, the master whispers to Tojiro, "Learn to look in silence, if you don't want noise to drive away the beauty of fragile things that are before your eyes." On page 96, Place has an amusing sketch of the master letting the boy leave to find his future, tethered by a rope inked in by paintbrush.

Hokusai's assessment of his own growth as an artist was added to his now-famous album of "One Hundred Views of Mount Fugi." (see page 100), This statement giving perspective on aging, persistence and achievement should be used at all seminars for 'seniors'. Long after his death in 1889, HOKUSAI IS A ROLE MODEL FOR TODAY.

Donald Keene is not only one of the WestÕs great literary and cultural translators of Japan, he is an important figure in the history of modern Japanese literature. In this readable and inspiring autobiography, Keene succinctly recalls his experiences with Japan, its language and its culture, and the numerous academic and literary figures he has encountered.

Keene, like many early Japan scholars in the United States, was initially trained by the military for intelligence work during World War II in the Pacific. Most of the book deals with his life between the war years, when he first struggled with the Japanese language, through the 1960s, when he was at the height of his associations with such famous Japanese writers as Yasunari Kawabata, Kobo Abe and Yukio Mishima. Keene was a great fan of Mishima, who is probably the most legendary Japanese writer in the West. Keene knew him well professionally, and openly discusses his efforts to lobby for a Nobel Prize for Mishima. He also talks about the dejection that overtook Mishima for never winning. Keene relates his own sense of loss at the suicides of both Kawabata and, especially, Mishima, and even finds fault with himself for not recognizing sooner the trajectory of MishimaÕs demise.

Keene's autobiography is highly recommended to anyone interested in the literature or scholarship of Japan, as well as to anyone interested in the life of an unusual and inspiring individual.

Donald Keene's personal story on his life-long devotion to the study of Japanese never fails to attract those interested in Japanese and Japan.

I find his accidental first encounter with a strange language, Japanese, quite amusing. A mistake to put a record on a player has eventually led young Keene to dare to learn Japanese and finally to write one of the most comprehensive history of Japanese literature several years ago. My vivid memory is that on a new-year TV program Keene and a notable Japanese poet talked about Japanese literature. The Japanese poet was never equal to Keene on topics in Japanese literature. It might be true that Keene's profound knowledge and appreciation of Japanese literature has no rival even in Japan, maybe except Dr. Jinichi Konishi, Professor Emeritus of Tsukuba University.

In this work, Keene puts an exciting and enchanting account of mishaps, adventures, good luck with Japanese which fascinated and nurtured the author as a distinguished Japan scholar.

I especially love to read his struggle and clever strategy of how he finally reached Tokyo and then, without staying there for even a night he took a night train for Kyoto from which his literary quest originated.

I believe we can enjoy reading detailed episodes that reveal his solid dedication and patience in learning Japanese and Japan. The author's well-thought-out expressions often help us discover the best way to describe in plain English some peculiar aspects of Japanese culture.

As someone living in Japan I enjoyed reading this book. Donald Keene is one of the great scholars on Japanese literature and equally at home in it's many facetted culture. The work Dr. Keene has delivered with this autobiography has the feel of many years of being submerged in a fascinating as well as a, for a Westerner, incredibly complex literary culture written in a wonderfully easy to understand style. Not only for those interested in Japanese literature and culture, but also for those who just want to have a good read. While traveling or before going to sleep. Nothing deep, but personal and a joy to read!

He leído este bellísimo libro en español "Mas Grandes que el Amor". El contenido de este libro esá mas allá de las palabras. Es increible la terminología extraordinaria usada por el autor al explicar el descubrimiento del virus del SIDA "AIDS" y otras plagas que han atacado a la humanidad. Es tan Celestial como Madre Teresa creó una clinica de amor para los moribundos víctimas de estas plagas, con personas sin muchos conocimientos médicos, y aún asi, pudieron curar el alma de estos moribundos antes de morir. Un libro de similar contenido: Médico de Cuerpos y Almas" "Dear and Glorious Physician"

My father gave me a copy oth this book about six year ago. I was captivated by the way individuals around the world had a positive impact on each other. i am thinking of the young priest who was gravely injured, but found that he could connect to others through praying for them. The work of Mother Theresas sisters, the scientists studying AIDS, it was truly a human mosaic. The intertwining of people who may never have met! Truly, "No man is an island."

I must have read this book 4-5 years ago. And it left such an impression that after all these years...I realise that I have to reread the book and write this review. For everyone who have read ths review, my advice is to read the book, I will not give away the suspense. But the interactions of the characters, the emotions protrayed and the reality of it all will definitely strike a chord in everybody's hearts. For once, I am so disappointed that the book is out of print, because, it should be shared by all readers young and old. It not only opens your mind, it makes you see things in a perspective you never knew existed.

A little gem of a book brimming with great photos. Amy's text reflects her long time affection of Japan's jolly household goddess Otafuku. I'm smitten & blessed at the same time.

Japan is a country with a varied and populous pantheon of characters, both divine and otherwise. You see them smiling or frowning or laughing or scowling from almost every conceivable area. Packets of food, corners of rooftops, inside of cups and even your own underwear are all populated with a host of faces. Some are mere commercial creations, like Hello Kitty and Doraemon, while some, like Daruma, have a more ancient and venerable origin. Such is the case with Otafuku.

"Otafuku: Joy of Japan" is an ode to joy for one of these characters, a chubby, cherubic luck-goddess whose smiling face is one that I have seen for years but never known its name. Of no particular religion or station, Otafuku is simply a spreader of happiness and good fortune, seeking to make everyone as fat and jolly as herself. Often found in the kitchen, or above doorways, she is a smiling babies face, or an old grandmother offering you homemade sweets.

The author Amy Katoh is a super-collector of Otafuku. Living in Japan for more than 30 years, she has amassed a museum's worth of nicknack's and artifacts, ranging from 15th century Kyogen masks to modern toothpick holders. With the practised eye of an artisan (Katoh runs an artist's shop called "Blue and White" in Tokyo), she has haunted the flea markets and back-alley vendors selecting the finest and most charming Otafuku-wear available.

Highlighting her collection and a few choice pieces, Katoh has accompanied the photos with text, telling the origin and history of Otafuku, relating some stories of how she has brought luck and fortune into Katoh's life, and telling the lives of some others whom Otafuku has touched. The writing is as light and friendly as befits the subject, and her enthusiasm in infectious. Along with this are some beautiful haiku poems that give a feel for the pictures, creating atmosphere as haikus do.

Everything about "Otakuku: Joy of Japan" is authentic Japan. The text is bilingual, in both English and Japanese. The objects and images are things you will encounter in daily life in Japan. I love the flow of the ancient to the modern, and how no matter how many centuries pass, simple pleasures like Otafuku's happy face continue to keep smiling away.

This charming book about Otafuku, a Japan deity of good cheer, is delightful! The photographs of her, in all her little guises, warms the heart and the stories of Amy Katoh captures a tiny sweetness of Japan. If you are looking for something to spread (or find) the joy that can be noticed in small things in daily living, this is the book.

The first time I glanced trough this book I was dissapointed.
Having read it a few times, I now cannot understand why -probably because the photos that could have been better (white clad practicioners on white background. Not much contrast which makes it hard on the eyes).

Shigeru Oyama was one of the finest and most respected teachers in kyokushin karate (known for its full contact, bareknuckle competitions), until he left and founded his own style known as world Oyama karate.

This book is one of very few to focus on the fighting aspect of full contact styles. Tactics, theory and fighting combinations is the core of this book, and it is all very good.
While many combinations shown would be fouls in any knockdown bout (the full contact, bareknuckle rule system used in kyokushin, world oyama, ashihara and several other full contact styles), it is the tactics and foot work that gives a glimpse of how Jissen kumite (all out full contact karate fighting) should look like.

I highly recommend this book to any practicioner of any style that use knockdown rules in competition (you know who you are). Practicioners of other styles might find it interesting to see aswell, even if they might not use most of the information due to rules restrictions and the difference in tactics that it leads to.

Excellent photo-packed guide with explanations that will guide the student from the basics to full-contact sparring. This book is excellent in reinforcing what you learn in class.

If you are looking for real Japanese Karate Instruction, this is it. Look no further. Great book! Highly Recommended for real Karate Students.

The movie Princess Mononoke has impressed me a lot, I have had the opportunity to see the version original subtitled to the Spanish one and from then on, as animator, I have a concept very different from the animation. The characters capture to the audience for their personalities, only and completely believable, far from hero's / villainous typical stereotypes, in this film, it lines her that they separates it is narrowed until disappearing, giving place to an unique and personal experience. The animation of the film is simply delicious, and Hayao Miyazaki's master like storyteller are clearly patent. I have the Japanese Artbook of this movie and it is simply wonderful, and I wait my copy of this fantastic edition of Hyperion impatiently.

I have viewed the subtitled edition of the animated film Mononoke Hime and I must say it is absolutly magnificent!! ^_^ I was totaly absobed by it's great storyline. The storyline of this film is indeed very deep and carries with it many messages and thoughts on society and the nature of man as well as his relationship with Mother nature . Mononoke Hime, though it does contain violent scenes and much of it's plot involves battle, too portrays a beautiful love story. With this film scheduled to be released in the U S in October, I encourage all able to go see it. I belive that those who view Mononoke Hime in the theaters this fall will be just as impressed and touched as I was after viewing it. Those who view Mononoke Hime in theaters this October will also be able to view animation in a whole new prespective. Hopefully it will make some realize that though they are only "cartoons", animated pieces are very capable of portraying human ideas, thoughts and emotions in a very mature, adult fashion. So well are these emotions portrayed that they are made tangible. It is for this very reason that I have become a fan of japanese aniamted works (anime), for in the US, many people including animators, are under the impression that animation is truthfully only a field built for the amusement of children. I must thank Hayao Miyazaki, the creator of Mononoke Hime, for producing such a wonderful animated film which I am lucky to have been able to see. This film will always have a place in my heart.

I saw the movie "Princess Mononoke" subtitled and I must say it is fantastic! Not the best of Miyazaki's works (Nausicaa is my favorite) but still a good movie! Cant wait for it to come out!

It should be noted that the author of this book "Van Waterford" is actually Willem Wanrooy using a pen name. Wanrooy was not just a researcher. He was a Dutch soldier and survivor of the sinking of the Junyo Maru, one of the "hell ships" used by the Japanese to transport prisoners during WWII. He was rescued from the sea only to be put to work in the camps he writes about here. If he writes more about certain ships or camps than others, it is only due to his personal experience, not a lack of desire for completeness.

The title is self-explanatory. The author accomplished a formidable research job. He lists every known Japanese camp used to detain prisoners of war and allied civilians during World War II and gives a brief history of each. There were hundreds of camps to house more than 100,000 people.

He also describes the conditions (awful) in many of the camps with quotes from inmates. To compare: about 4 percent of American POWs captured by the Germans died compared to about 31 percent of Americans captured by the Japanese.

My purpose in looking at this book was to find accounts written by the POWs and detainees themselves. The bibliography after each section met my need by identifying many primary sources. This is not a book you'll likely read cover to cover, but as a reference book for students of World War II in the Pacific it should be on your shelf.

Smallchief

Van Waterford had compiled the very best overall view of the massive internment of prisoners by the Japanese during WWII. (He clearly cites the record that the Japanese decided to consider the civilian internees as POWS, a decision many to this day refuse to recognize)Since the Japanese deliberately destroyed all relevent records, it took a dedicated historian to compile from hundred of sources the best compilation of facts and figures I have ever seen. This is a must for any serious research on the subject. One of the better listings of the infamous Hell Ships even though multiple voyages seemed to be ignored and a number of ships not mentioned. The compilation of pow camps by region also is the most complete I have ever seen. Having studied the POW experience for many years and owner of hundreds of books relating to the subject, I place this on the very top shelf.

A piece of fabric is the pulse of life is written across our eyes by drape, shape, texture, and hue. Art forms, and perhaps art itself, have their own genetic codes-forms of doubling and redoubling that, as DNA does with the cell, determine a look, a feel, a character, an emotion. Lucky, then, are the pieces of fabric doubled and redoubled by the eyes and hands of Yoshiko Jinzenji. A few snips of color and weave become a mix of art and the irrepressible urge to adorn that make you want to dive off this world and into what you see.

She best articulates the origins of all this in her book's Introduction:

"I have a very clear memory of my first encounter with quilts. It was in Toronto in the winter of 1970, in the furniture section of Eaton's department store downtown. There, surrounded by standardized fluffy bedspreads, were two handmade quilts draped over wooden racks. I went over to them as if drawn by a magnet and took them in my hand, wondering what on earth these handmade quilts were doing in the middle of a display of manufactured goods. The oddity of the combination was stunning. The quilts were made by joining together many small pieces of cloth and then covering the whole with fine hand stitching. Each had a price tag, and I was stunned again to see that they were not much more expensive than the manufactured spreads. Who could have made these, I asked myself, and what had inspired their beautiful handwork

Yoshiko's work is a textile manifestation of the preoccupation with apres-antique and avant-garde that characterizes so much of Japanese culture today. On page 40 she recounts the symbiosis of ancient textiles in the tea ceremony; a scant 7 pages further on were are suddenly confronted with a work made of some of the most interesting cloth ideations of Jun'ichi Arai. Jun'ichi is arguably the most innovative and certainly the most influential textile creative artist working today-the textile equivalent of Issey Miyake's fabrications in his heyday of two decades ago. Jun'ichi has taken the marriage of technology and history further down the road to progeny than any other designer. He also is an astonishingly good and sensitive writer, and his Foreword to Yoshiko's book is so good that it is reproduced below.

Yoshiko, like Jun'ichi, is nothing if not a creative technician who happens to make art. Her text and caption content sums to an amazingly low overall word count given the amount of detail and philosophy it conveys. One reason is the lush plates-many so good they could be enlarged and hung in a gallery devoted to contemporary fine-art photography. Then there are the dozens of step-by-step how-to diagrams that guide the home quilter through the process of emulating Yoshiko's pieces. The readers need not be especially accomplished sewers, either, for despite their complex look, Yoshiko's pieces are really composed of fairly straightforward elements lines and patterns; there's just a lot of them. Any who would re-create one of her works at home needs patience more than proficiency.

Yoshiko is generous enough to pass along step-by-step instructions for a dyeing method she found via experiment in order to accomplish what must be the ultimate coals-to-Newcastle notion in textile history: dyeing white material white. That might seem an exercise in conceit, but the reason goes far back into the wellsprings of Japanese aesthetics. As she tells it,

"I had been making quilts for years from fabrics that I dyed myself with natural dyes when I had a kind of awakening. It was during an exhibition where my work was being shown together with that of a lacquerware artist. When I looked at his pieces, with their simple and beautiful form and their quiet sheen achieved by applying lacquer in careful layers, I thought, what kind of fabric could I make that would have the same sense of power? Finally it came to me, I wanted to find a natural dye that would dye cloth white. . . . In the field of natural dyes white was the one color no one knew how to obtain. For me white was suggestive of the fusuma and shoji sliding doors used to separate Japanese-style rooms, as well as the traditions of sumi ink drawings and calligraphy and even the white sand of Zen gardens."

"Finally I hit on the idea of trying that strange combination of tree and grass, bamboo. Two or three hours later the cloth had been transformed. It was if the silk was a prism sparkling with colors like pink, yellow, and green. It was a white with depths."

Yoshiko's book is a combination of high art and ladle-in-the-dyebath practicality. The many full-plate and even more part-page pictures amply illustrate the first. The drawings and text take care of the latter. With so many active quilters and societies all around the world these days, few would argue that quilting isn't an art form. With Yoshiko's book in hand, anyone interested in quilting, textiles, home design, or fashion design will be inspired to make art of their own. Her 90 specific projects, clear design patterns and detailed instructions can guide just about anyone with enthusiasm and patience to make quilts, pillows, clutch purses, mandalas, spreads, wall hangings, and even a hammock to end all hammocks. Yoshiko's work is a rarity even in the world of art-to-wear and its nonwearable textile art relatives: utterly unique.

This book is beautifully written and designed. The cover and paper used are artful. Yoshiko Jenzenji shares her passion for quilting in a way that weaves a common thread through cultures, locales, nature, and spirituality. I could feel my heart swell as I read through this book and as I looked at and studied the photographs. This is a book about her quilts and about quilting--but the photography and artistry of its cover and between its covers makes it a special treasure. I am excited to own this book and will be proud to display it. I am so inspired by Yoshiko Jenzenji's quilt work and passion for quilting. I became dizzy with inspiration! I will recommend it to every friend I have--and not all of them are quilters! I would think they would all want to BECOME quilters after experiencing this book. Yoshiko Jenzenji seemed to open her heart and her home with this book. I am thankful to her for sharing her passion and talent with the world!

Yoshiko Jinzenji has made a beautiful book showing her magnificient quilts and pieces of fabric arts.

The book itself, photos, paper, printing, writing, style, is a piece of art. A book you will be happy to own, no matter if you are a quilter or just a book lover. A perfect coffee table book for any home, though this one is so much more than a coffee table book. This book deserves to be read and be looked through again and again.

Yoshiko Jinzenji has been a quilter for a lifetime, and during these years she has developed her own unique and perfect style. We get to know Jinzenji through the pages of the book, both through words and through pictures. We meet her and her quilts in Kyoto, and we meet her in her studio in Bali. The book also have a section on how to make quilts, easy to read, easy to follow the step by step instructions. Jinzenji makes her quilts from ancient fabric collected from around the world, and she makes her quilts from natural dyes in light, clean colors. But no matter what the fabric is, her vibrant quilts all stand out and have all their own story to tell

The highlights in the book though are the pictures. The somewhat clean and stylish picture of a Small Modern Amish quilt displayed on the wall in her Kyoto home, the fantastic puzzle of an uncountable number of small Mandala quilts put together to form a universe in colors, cloths and patterns, the collague of many pictures from scenes around her studio in Bali as inspirations for future quilts.

The way the writing and photos in the book are put together shows the reader a new way to look at the surroundings, and through that a new way to look at life. Or to say it with the words from the foreword of the book, written by textile designer Jun'ichi Arai; I am convinced that Yoshiko Jinzenji's achievements in establishing a new genre in quilting will never be forgotten.