Customer Reviews

Designed for Pleasure: The World of Edo Japan in Prints and Paintings, 1680-1860

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This book introduces and catalogs an exhibition co-organized by the Asia Society and the Japanese Art Society. It is highly recommended to students, scholars and collectors of Japanese ukiyo-e (floating-world pictures i.e. wood block prints and paintings). Many of the important Japanese print artists took up painting as their career's progressed which this catalog documents. This catalogue, like two earlier ones, "The Floating World Revisited" and "Women of the Pleasure Quarter", that are among my favorites, integrate these activities exceptionally well with a new added twist, the commercial impetus for this art. In addition to copiously illustrated articles by among the best ukiyo-e scholars, the catalog includes an appendix of 141 items, mostly prints and paintings that are color illustrated and briefly but authoritatively annotated.

The book is clearly and beautifully illustrated - all color. It could easily grace a coffee table. A great deal of attention must have gone into presenting the illustrations since they are nearly all size appropriate i.e. clearly viewable. Interesting details are enlarged when called for by the text. The selection of art and prints is with few exceptions superb and not without surprises for even the most knowledgeable collector. I appreciated the translations of many poems, which like captions are integral to understanding the prints and paintings but often ignored because of translation difficulties. To see for yourself the quality of the selections included in this volume, goggle the Asia Society Museum exhibition.

The deciding factor that led me to purchase the book in addition to the exhibition site was the list of contributing authors which includes authors of several books and articles that I consider among the finest in the field.

Article List:

1. Donald Jenkins on A Mirror on the Floating World (Introduction/over view by the world class curator of Japanese ukiyo-e and Director emeritus of the marvelous Portland, Oregon Museum of Fine Arts)
2. David Waterhouse on Moronobu, the founder of Ukiyo-e: Tracking Down an Elusive Master (New facts and insights that distinguish this long standing scholar further)
3. Sarah Carpenter on The Original Source - Accept No Substitutes! Okumura Masanobu (Thank you! It is about time that we hear more about this incredible man).
4. Allen Hockley on Harunobu: The Cult and Culture of Color (This Dartmouth professor and prolific writer succeeds again with a provocative take).
5. Timothy Clark on Katsukawa Shunsho: Ukiyo-e Paintings for the Samurai Elite (A perfect choice for THE expert on both Shunsho and floating world paintings).
5. Julie Nelson Davis on Tsutaya Juzaburo: Master Publisher.
6. John T. Carpenter on The Literary Network: Private Commissions for Hokusai and his Circle.
7. David Pollack on Designed for Pleasure: Ukiyo-e as Material Culture. (This one can be skipped).