Publisher's Synopsis
Almost every visitor to Japan finds him/herself fascinated by locally manufactured objects - perhaps a pair of chopsticks that cleverly employs the node of a bamboo stem, a box of matches with bold calligraphy, or an artistic arrangement of steppingstones in the garden of a temple - the designs of which reveal a unique genius unlike anything that is seen elsewhere. The Japanese artisan seems to have an uncanny knack of being able to look at basic materials - clay, fabric or metal, and imagine what he can make out of them - in a way that is markedly different from the way that they are looked at in other countries.;Inspired Design covers the whole range of traditional crafts made in Japan, both historic and contemporary.;Starting with a description of the land of Japan, stretching from Siberian forests (Hokkaido island) to the sub-tropical islands of Okinawa, and its natural materials - animal, vegetable and mineral - the book describes how Japanese artisans have used these raw materials to make a vast variety of extraordinarily designed crafts, many of which are different from those seen elsewhere.;The introductory essay addresses the unique genius of Japanese design resulting from a combination of forces: nature, the aesthetic principles of Zen in art, the the influence of the tea masters on artistic experession etc. The introduction also addresses the place of craftsmen in pre-modern Japanese society, apprenticeship and the transmission of techniques, and how different types of crafts were made for different social classes.;The three main parts of the book are devoted to: crafts made from animal products (part I), including imported ivory, tortoise-shell, stag-antler, leather, shark and ray skin; crafts made from vegetable products (part II), including wood, bamboo, straw and reeds, lacquer, hemp, linen, paper; crafts made from mineral products (part III), including stone, ceramic, metals.;Throughout the book particular aspects of Japanese society necessary to understand the use of the artefacts are explained; from the tea ceremony to how the Japanese bathe, from the use of masks in performing arts to the Japanese art of wrapping.;A glossary of Japanese terms is included.
