From Publishers Weekly
Unfamiliar even to many Japanese, the town of Miyama lies as an eddy of tradition and ritual out of the mainstream of Japanese society. The author, who teaches at Princeton, spent two years in Miyama apprenticed to one of the town's 12 potters. Although the technical descriptions of the potter's craft may cause readers' attention to wander, Philip's prose style is crisp when she discusses helping natives plant and harvest rice, the personalities of the villagers and the way the experience of living among them has altered the way she views life. She does not portray the town as locked in another era; even before she arrived, there were signs--omnipresent television and department-store clothing--of the incursion of Western culture. There is great pressure on the pottery factories themselves to turn out what Philip terms "tourist schlock." But enough remains of this quiet, gentle and highly structured society to allow the author to create an affectionate appreciation.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
In this enchanting book, Philip recounts her trip in 1983 to Miyama, at the southern tip of the islands of Japan, where she studied with a master potter. Although she was already a potter and fluent in Japanese, her two-year stay required constant adjustment to a totally different culture, described here with sensitivity and clarity. Apprentice, woman, and foreigner, she was at times put in a subordinate position, at other times free to do what a Japanese woman could not, such as participate in rice planting and harvesting (to the amusement of the Japanese). The reader will learn much about potting, but also about Japanese history, social mores, rural life, modern youth, religion, the master-apprentice relationship, and much else. For a wide range of readers.
- Donald J. Pearce, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Duluth
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Donald J. Pearce, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Duluth
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
