Customer Reviews

The Colors of Japan: Background, Characteristics and Creation

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Both at home and abroad, Sadao Hibi is known as one of Japan's foremost photographers, and his color studies of the details of Japanese artifacts, architecture, and gardens have appeared in numerous books. These books are invariably stunning and are usually bought solely for the strength of their visual appeal alone.

Now comes "The Colors of Japan," which not only meets the photographic and design standards of Hibi's previous books but also includes text provided by a distinguished Japanese scholar. That scholar is Kunio Fukuda, a professor of color theory at a Japanese college of art and design, and it is his writing--not previously accessible in English--that makes this book especially valuable. For readers familiar with Japan and its culture, Fukuda's text brings into focus what they have already observed about the Japanese use of color. Even more important, it provides technical information about the dyes and pigments available to the Japanese over the centuries, material not easily found in general-audience art books.

Gorgeous appearance, little content. Chapters organized by single color. I had hoped this book would offer some insight into the Japanese use of combined colors, which is so distinctive. Strictly for the coffee table, not a reference book.

A book of gorgeous pictures,however very little writing.It has the most popular colors used in Japanese traditional pottery,lacquer,textiles and many others.These colors are all used today, in every day life.

If I did not have many books on Japanese culture already I would not have made this purchase. But since I have over 20 books on Japanese life; houses, furniture, gardens, Japanese art and cooking, this was one I wanted as I focused in on the specific limited palette found throughout traditional Japanese culture.

I currently live in Japan and bought this book for a friend as a Sayonara gift. I recommend it to people who have visited or lived here as an expat, maybe it means allot more to someone who has lived here. But it is totally different ballgame to visit this country vs living here.
I Love this book!!!!!!!!!!