Customer Reviews

Of Brigands and Bravery: Kuniyoshi's Heroes of the

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As you might know, Japan was closed off from the rest of the world for around 200 years (Up to 1868!). One of the few countries that kept up close economical ties with Japan throughout that time was Holland (Europe).

That is probably one explanation why in Holland you will find large collections of Japanese Art, and also why the University of Leiden (a city in Holland) has got a very good reputation world-wide for all Japanese-related studies.

The publishing company of this book, Hotei Publishing (www.hotei-publishing.com), is also based in Leiden and has over the past few years managed to create an excellent reputation for itself regarding Japan-related publications. I have about a dozen of their books, and can wholeheartedly recommend all of them.

My interest in Japanese woodblock prints started because of my love for traditional Japanese tattooing. Doing a little research on Japanese tattooing, one will eventually come across the great ukiyo-e Master Kuniyoshi, on whose prints most of the traditional tattoo designs are based.

If, like me, you want to delve deeper into the history of those designs: this book is a must-have. For the untrained eye it will at first be difficult to see the connections between the prints and the tattoos - but after a while you will understand better.

If, on the other hand, you are "only" interested in Kuniyoshi and/or his Suikoden prints: this book is also a must-have for you! The prints are re-produced in large size and full colour.

Besides, you get background information regarding the technique of woodblock prints, Kuniyoshi's life, his work, how the Suikoden prints came about, and a lot more.

If you would also like to see how some of those prints where "transferred" onto human skin, I can recommend the following books to you: 1. Takahiro Kitamura, "Bushido - Legacies Of The Japanese Tattoo", Schiffer Publishing, (over 200 photographs of works by one of today's greatest tattoo masters: Horiyoshi III). 2. Sandi Fellman, "The Japanese Tattoo", Abbeville Press.

Of all the superb books published by Hotei on the subject of Japanese woodblock prints, Inge Klompmakers' "Of Brigands and Bravery: Kuniyoshi's Heroes of the Suikoden" is far and away my favorite. This reflects not only my enthusiasm for the 19th-century artist Kuniyoshi but also an appreciation of the rich symbolism embedded in his treatment of the "Suikoden" heroes.

The "Suikoden" (the term is the Japanese rendition of the original Chinese title of "Shuihu zhuan") is a epic Chinese novel that is known in English as both "The Water Margin" and "All Men are Brothers." The novel, which lionizes an outlaw band of 108 men who commit crimes on behalf of the common people, was first translated into Japanese in the late 18th century. In the 19th century, a reworking of the novel brought it to an even wider Japanese audience, and at this juncture a number of leading print artists--including Hokusai and Yoshitoshi--illustrated it. However, it is the treatment of the bandits by Kuniyoshi--who depicted 75 of the 108 heroes--which has enjoyed the most enduring popularity and influence.

In the original Chinese novel, six of the 108 bandits are described as tattooed. In Kuniyoshi's series, covering just 75 of the bandits, that number was expanded to 15, and Kuniyoshi's "Suikoden" series became the leading evolutionary influence on Japan's complex style of tattooing.

Recently the "Suikoden" has enjoyed a major renaissance of popularity. Kuniyoshi's prints are revered by the international tattooing community, and the novel itself has inspired a series of fantasy games. Beyond these considerations, it is worth examining Kuniyoshi's accomplishment within its historical context. In the late 19th century, the Japanese enjoyed increased access to literature from abroad, had an urbanized population that supported a vigorous publishing industry, and perfected the technology of woodblock printing. These three developments jointly produced an extraordinary marriage of text and art, a marriage that enriches us all today.

The other reviewers have done a great job highlighting the most important reasons this book is great, so I'll just add that what makes it an other books like this a great buy is the price tag. It is a cheap way to get a good look at many Kuniyoshi prints without paying the asinine price of the hardcover museum editions. Its a book of great art to be enjoyed by fans of Ukiyo-e but also should be a center piece at any good tattoo shop.

I have nothing to add. It's a very good quality title. If you now "Water margins", and you like it, you will have a fun with this book.

The prints in this book are fantastic, large with great color reproduction. It also an excellent read for anyone interested in japanese woodblock printing. An all round excellent book.

if you like japanese tattoos or art, this is an interesting book to learn something about them ! sometimes it's a little confused but over all it's a good book !

This is a very well researched book with high quality scans of the original artwork. The price tag is a just a bit high for a softcover coffee table book.

The cover even makes me kind of wonder. Its paperback although the pages are pretty durable. I like the little stories about each character. The pictures are breathtaking and beautiful.

Suikoden has become a popular video game series... giving you a chance to recruit more than 108 allies, compete in intense battles and require a castle of your own! But very few know there is a tale behind this series... A great tale of 75 heroes, tragically being killed off by the Turks of China. This is a great read to find out more of what happened to give birth to a great video game!