Japan: A Living Portrait (Origami Classroom) [Hardcover]

Azby Brown (Author), Michael J. Mansfield (Author), Dorothy Britton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Origami Classroom | Publication Date: October 31, 1999

Japan is alive with much more than tradition. Cities reverberate with the whirl of crisscrossing trains, pulsating neon, and hurry-scurrying crowds. High-tech skyscrapers rise from the rice paddies. Rural festivals unleash a torrent of raw energy in an otherwise tranquil countryside. And ancient volcanoes-after snoozing for centuries-awaken with a thunderous roar to remind the islands' inhabitants of the mighty forces of nature.

Beneath all the frenetic forward motion of present-day Japan lies a foundation built on over a millennium of recorded history and a vast legacy of artistic and cultural traditions. The Japanese often pause to reflect on their past-for there lies the key to their national identity, so often obscured in today's confusing web of satellites and semiconductors.

The contemporary color schemes, time-honored traditions, and dynamic natural beauty of Japan come to life in this lavishly illustrated book. Geisha and robots, Fuji and fine arts, shrines and skyscrapers-they're all here. An illuminating foreword by Mike Mansfield, former U.S. senator and ambassador to Japan, precedes a gallery of over 140 color photographs that highlight the nature, modern life, traditional arts, and contemporary culture of Japan. Accompanying the collage of photos are essays by author-poet Dorothy Britton, journalist Frederick Hiroshi Katayama, art historian Martha J. McClintock, and architect Azby Brown, who offer incisive perspectives on the country, its arts, and its people.

Through word and picture, this one volume brings together the contrasting faces of Japan. From the legendary cherry blossoms of Yoshinoyama to the colorful kitsch of urban architecture, Japan: A Living Portrait captures the eclectic synthesis of things past, present, and future that makes this island nation so endlessly fascinating.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Want a glimpse of everyday life in Japan? Mansfield's visual title traces city and urban life, blending descriptions of traditions, natural wonders, and local activities with portraits of life in different regions across the country. The result is more diverse than most coverages of Japan, providing strong insights on Japanese activities. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

MICHAEL J. MANSFIELD was born in New York City in 1903. A Democratic congressman for the state of Montana, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1942 and then to the Senate in 1952, where he served as majority leader from 1961 to 1977. He was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Japan in 1977. During his eleven-year tenure, he dealt successfully with a number of economic and political issues between the United States and Japan, describing the relationship as "the most important bilateral relationship in the world, bar none."

DOROTHY BRITTON is a Japan-born English author, composer, and poet. She has traveled throughout Japan, and has written extensively about the country. Her works include National Parks of Japan, The Japanese Crane: Bird of Happiness, Twenty Folk Songs of Japan, and many translations. She is a keen conservationist.

AZBY BROWN is an American architect and Associate Professor of architectural design at the Kanazawa Institute of Technology. His books The Genius of Japanese Carpentry and Small Spaces were published by Kodansha International. He has resided in Japan since 1985.

FREDERICK HIROSHI KATAYAMA has traveled throughout Asia as a business reporter for NHK News. A former Tokyo correspondent for Fortune magazine, he won a citation of excellence from the Overseas Press Club of America. He holds a masters degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

MARTHA J. McCLINTOCK received her Ph.D. in the History of Japanese Art from the University of Michigan. She lives in Tokyo, where she pursues and publishes her research on Meiji-period literati painters. She is also a translator of art-related essays and art exhibition catalogs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha USA; Revised edition (October 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770024789
• ISBN-13: 978-4770024787
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,146,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Japan - A Living Portrait, August 2, 2000

By 

Aaron R. Stewart (Park City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japan: A Living Portrait (Hardcover)

A wonderful book which captures the essence of both modern and ancient Japan with numerous photos and concise written text. This book gives the reader a very accurate, yet perfectly simple taste of Japan. I highly reccomend this book to those who have never been or those who frequently visit Japan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (Stereo)typical Japan, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, February 17, 2010

By 

buru buru piggu (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Japan: A Living Portrait (Origami Classroom) (Hardcover)

This book was given to me by Japanese teachers as a parting gift while I was living and teaching there. It is filled with idyllic images of Japan, as perhaps all pictorial books are prone to doing. The Japan shown here looks to be Japan of the 80's, and in the minds of many people outside of Japan, it's the image that persists: a land of bullet trains, sumo, temples, robots, and geisha. It is also the image that Japan promotes to the world. The real, every day Japan that I experienced living just outside of Tokyo was not so glamorous or tidy.

For people who've never been to Japan, this book is good coffee table material with nice photographs of the Japanese natural landscape, temples, and some aspects of city life-- all stuff you'd see on postcards. For people who've lived there, this book is good for nostalgia and bringing back memories. Technically speaking, the photos look aged. Some of them exhibit a high amount of grain, particularly the larger blow-ups. The photo of a karate match, the Asahi Beer Hall building at Asakusa, and Noh opera, for example, are very grainy. The text is very anti-septic and no-nonsense. No mention is made about the fact that locals lovingly call the Asahi Flamme d'Or, which is supposed to represent the "burning heart of Asahi beer", the "Kin no Unchi", the "Golden Turd" because of its shape. No images of the famous goth fashion/cosplay scene at Harajuku, though nearby Yoyogi Park and Meiji temple are shown.

Overall, good to flip through as a picture book of an idealized Japan.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Step Into Japanese Arts, February 29, 2000

By 

"-sw-" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japan: A Living Portrait (Origami Classroom) (Hardcover)

Here is a beautifully illustrated world, a door into Japanese painting, architecture, music and visual arts. An introduction to Japanese Shinto and Buddhism. Various articles by thoughtful artists and historians. A fine, illustrated cultural overview of Japan -- recommended for travelers and Japanophiles.