History of Japanese Art

Japanese art, like so many expressions of Japanese culture, is fascinatingly rich in its contrasts and paradoxes. Since the country opened its doors to the outside world in the mid-nineteenth century, Japanese art and culture have enjoyed an immense popularity in the West. When in 1993 renowned scholar Penelope Mason wrote the the first edition of "History of Japanese Art", it was the first such volume in thirty years to chart a detailed overview of the subject. It remains the only comprehensive survey of its kind in English. This second edition ties together more closely the development of all the media within a well-articulated historical and social context. New featuers of thsi Second Edition are: extended coverage of Japanese art beyond 1945; new discoveries both in archeology and scholarship; new material on calligraphy, ceramics, lacquerware, metalware, and textiles; an extended glossary; a comprehensively updated bibliography; and 94 new illustrations.