Edo Books

A detailed scholarly book devoted to "The Floating World" A great read too! Description on training, politics, fashions, artists, and more. Great many things are explained in regards to famous Japanese literary pieces, prints, festivals, and movies. A great addition to your Japanese culture library

Writing on Edo-period Japanese prints tends to be dominated by studies of single artists, print series by single artists, and chronological histories. Against this background, "The Floating World of Ukiyoe: Shadows, Dreams, and Substance," produced in conjunction with an exhibition, is a most welcome contribution. Here the emphasis is on showcasing a diverse and rarely seen collection--the woodblock prints and woodblock-printed books of the Library of Congress-- and on presenting expert essays that put the genre of "ukiyoe" in a broad aesthetic and social context. Added bonuses include such features as the "raking light" photograph on page 118, which illustrates the effects created by print embossing. "The Floating World" has been superbly designed by Abrams and well edited. It is worth noting too that the index has been prepared with exceptional care. Meanwhile, the bibliography--which covers 309 items and runs more than 20 pages--is a wonderful guide to woodblock-printed books in the Library of Congress: for scholars of Japanese art, culture, and publishing, this alone will justify acquisition of this book.

An outstanding catalogue of a significant collection ignored by earlier "specialists" who catalogued the Wright collection (and labeled the box of surimono as "small woodblock prints").

Ms. Mirviss applies her considerable knowledge of Japanese art and her expertise in the peculiarities of the (nearly illegible) script used for the poetry to bring this collection to life. Her unfailing artistic eye makes to this potentially confusing print genre accessible to the Western audience - and even modern Japanese.

Stunning illustrations of previously unpublished or rarely seen works enhance the richness and pleasure of this catalogue and complement the descriptive text and translations.

Nature was the primary subject of renowned Japanese printmaker Hiroshige (1797 - 1858). He painted birds, flowers, and legendary scenes, as well as contributing to the Ukiyo-e prints, which depicted scenes in the world of fashion and entertainment.

Hiroshige in Tokyo details the background of woodblock printing which was introduced in Japan in the eighth century. At that time, its chief use was the production of inexpensive religious charms. Gradually the art of block printing grew into the masterpiece represented in this lovely volume.

The author concentrates on two of Hiroshige's series of prints: "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" and "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo." These scenes, which are identified according to actual location, sometimes represent the Japanese view of nature. It was seen in its sheer simplicity as a means for an interpretation of reality.

The scenes beautifully capture Tokyo during the Edo period, reflecting the seasonal changes in the countryside as well as the daily lives of Tokyo's citizens.

With over 100 paintings, photographs and artifacts, Hiroshige in Tokyo is an important addition to the archives of Japanese printmaking.

- Gail Cooke

I recommend this gorgeous book to any fan of Japanese prints in general, or Hokusai in particular. This series of prints, never completed, combines a thousand years of Japanese poetry and culture with Hokusai's rich imagination, giving more meaning to the poems and imagery than either could have by themselves.

After a brief and informative introduction, each two-page spread presents one of the images. It appears on the right-hand side, at roughly the original size (oban, aboutu 10"x15"). Text appears on the left-hand page: the name of the poet, a five-line poem in rigidly defined form, biographical information about the poet, commentary on the poem, and analysis of Hokusai's rendering. Although helpful and informative, the writing never falls into dry pendatry or restatement of the obvious. In books like these, I very often skim the text; here, I take the time to read Morse's comments. They really add to my understanding of the prints and their cultural context.

This series holds special interest because it was never completed. Only twenty seven of the hundred are known to have been printed in color, and they all appear here. Only the key (black ink) block appears for another, over fifty appear as full-sized drawings but were never cut, two drawings are now lost but appear as photos taken when they were still extant, and four appear as prints from blocks cut by a twentieth-century artist working from Hokusai's original drawings. It is maddening to know that Morse has seen photos of two more, held by a collector who has not granted permission to reproduce them. In a few cases, the print and preparatory drawing have both been presented; the drawing appears in reduced form with the text, opposite the print.

As much as I love Western printmaking, it rarely equals the complexity or subtlety of Japanese woodcuts. Among Japanese printmakers, Hokusai holds a position as an undisputed master. This collection does a lot to cement that reputation for the Western reader.

-- wiredweird

In the middle of 19th century, three of Japan's greatest woodblock artists combined their artistry to create one hundred woodblock prints which accompanied the one hundred most cherished Japanese poems. Kuniyoshi (51 prints), Hiroshige (35 prints), and Kunisada (14 prints), each a master in the art of woodblock prints, pooled their talents and produced these magnificent pieces of art treasures.

The book provides nice introductory essays on the history of the one hundred poems ("Hyakunin isshu" - One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each) and the inception and creation of this 100-print series ("Ogura Nazorae Hyakunin Isshu" - Comparisons of the Ogura One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each). There is also some discussion of the Tenpo Reforms during which the series was produced.

The bulk of the book comprises of, for each poem, a faithfully reproduced full-page color plate on the right side of the page, joined by the facing page on the left with the accompanied poem and its translation. The facing also contains information on the poet's name, the poem's title, print's signature, seals, and historical and theatrical background as relating to the woodblock prints and possible connection between the poem and the print. All the information is nicely packaged in a single volume, making looking up the prints and the poems an easy task.

A very useful appendices comprised of lists of artists, censors, subject characters, poets, Kabuki actors and their stage names, playwrights, and censor seals round up the book. In all, a marvelous book with stunning prints and graceful poems. You will find yourself returning to this book over and over again to marvel at the artistic greatness that was Japan not too long ago.

Lane's fine overview of Japanese ukiyo-e art is invaluable to the collector of these woodblock prints. Full color plates abound in the history of these "floating world pictures". The illustrated dictionary section includes Hiroshige's complete "100 Views of Edo" and "53 Stations of the Tokaido" in b&w thumbnails plus many prints by most recognized ukiyo-e artists, publisher and censor seals, signatures and crests . The casual lover of fine art books will enjoy the views while the serious student of this art will find much of worth here.

Another treasure from one of the world's greatest-somewhat-unknown poets...more more more is all I can say! To see his translations in his own hand is the greatest thrill, as well as the brief but wonderful interview at the end conducted by the editor and publishers. A true touchstone for living dharma and freedom.

It's a wonderful collection for a variety of reasons: the beautiful reproduction, the many poses and practices it shows, the many artists and styles, the scholarly but interesting commentary, and attention to a print-lover's details.

The depictions cover the whole range of possible couplings, plus a number of impossible ones. Most of the pictures focus on coupling of one man and one woman, but men together, women singly or together, multiples of each, and even mythical beasts appear in various samples. At least a few pictures show use of toys, genital kisses and caresses, and even cleanup tissues - a little touch that lends familiarity to this unfamiliar culture. Another point appealed to me as well, that all or nearly all scenes show happy, consenting partners.

The historical notes are what such notes should be. They explain the unfamiliar or point out details, without belaboring the obvious. Descriptions of the prints themselves could have been a bit better, especially regarding foxing, fading, and other signs of age. I was glad to see the damaged images, though. It gives viewers a more realistic idea of what to expect when the see prints in galleries or stores, and I'd rather see the image damaged that never see it at all.

In terms of printing and image-making techniques, this book spans a very wide range. The collection is dominated by 17-19th century woodcuts, in the familiar colored style or simple linear images. The authors have also included some of the cartoons that would have been used to guide the artisan cutting the blocks, as well as pencil drawings made for their own sake. There are a few clever fold-outs, including one where, upon lifting the tablecloth on the print, we see lovers playing footsie under the table. Another series (cat. 87) shows a lovely set of prints in a style new to me, one that imitates traditional ink drawings. Others (cat. 84) use "blind impressions" to emboss patterns into the print. Careful photography shows how the indentations enhance the patterns of the fabric, or (in a second print) describe the modeling of the figures and their musculature. In a few cases, the authors show multiple impressions of a given image, to show how instances of the "same" image may differ.

If you have just one book of Edo-era erotica, make it this one. It's beautiful, broad, and informative in many ways. Best of all, it gives a very happy impression of the players and their play.

//wiredweird

In "Little Songs of the Geisha", Liza Dalby stretches her scholarly wings. She's an anthropologist who went through a year of geisha training as part of her study, learning skills such as shamisen playing and ko-uta, or "little songs". In this volume, she presents twenty-five traditional ko-uta, complete with notes on meanings and inferences lost on most Western audiences, and pointers on Japanese symbolism. Throughout, she brings out overarching themes such as the identification with nature, particularly in the grip of strong feeling. Though some of the songs are poignant and some are disturbing (there's one about rape which paints it as an erotic act), Ms. Dalby does everything I like in a book of poetry. She includes the original language side by side with her translations, and in this case goes one better by including a fine calligraphy hand as well as the typeset romanji. She also includes both Western and Japanese musical notation for one of the shamisen songs, to make it easier to get an idea what they sound like. Even for a reader unfamiliar with Japanese culture, this book is worthwhile.