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A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics by [Donald Richie]

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Donald Richie

A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics Kindle Edition

by Donald Richie (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Print length

80 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Stone Bridge Press
Publication date

February 1, 2009
File size

104 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Donald Richie has been writing about Japan for over 50 years from his base in Tokyo and is the author of over 40 books and hundreds of essays and reviews. He is widely admired for his incisive film studies on Ozu and Kurosawa, and for his stylish and incisive observations on Japanese culture.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006IYYHVA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press (February 1, 2009)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 1, 2009
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 104 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 80 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #668,319 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #97 in Asian Art History
- #157 in Aesthetics (Kindle Store)
- #239 in Art History Criticism

Customer Reviews:
75 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		62%
4 star		25%
3 star		9%
2 star		5%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Michelle H

Decent Introduction

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2015

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I'm not sure I got as much out of it as I anticipated from previous reviews. It does condense and make coherent a lot of the other sources one would be looking at as alternatives. That is a big plus. The writing is definitely geared toward a rational personality type and makes a good introduction that will hopefully encourage a much deeper look into the "Ways" connected to Japanese aesthetics. That style certainly appealed to me, but might seem to miss the nuances of other authors for some readers. The bibliography is great for what to read next. Overall a recommended starter.

11 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Highly recommended!

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2015

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As someone just learning about traditional Japanese culture, this book served as a great intro to the terms and how they are generally used. It made for fascinating reading and was particularly helpful in understanding the place that aesthetics held at one point in time in Japan. While I was saddened to understand that many of these concepts have become "fossilized" as the author says, it also fired my imagination to read about the unique viewpoint the Japanese had about art.

7 people found this helpful

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Dr. J V. Slavin

The Floating World

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2016

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fascinating study of Japanese love of beauty in art and nature. Full of intriguing insights that gives the non specialist an understanding of Japan's complex culture. my only complaint is that Richie's book is all too short.

6 people found this helpful

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Mr. Peter Rowe

A great and important work on Japanese Aesthetics

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2014

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This book sums up admirably the differences in Western and Eastern aesthetics, and gives valuable insight into the Japanese mind. If you have ever wondered how Japanese artists think, this is the book for you. In addition it is quite easy to read, and makes difficult concepts entirely acessible to the novice.

13 people found this helpful

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Micky

Informative

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2018

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Interesting perspective and interpretation. Simply written, easy to understand. Not intended to be difficult or complex. Worth the time to contemplate.

One person found this helpful

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Re Craig

not as clear as one would like. does have many interesting quotations that could lead ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017

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Wordy for such a short book, not as clear as one would like. does have many interesting quotations that could lead to further reading.

One person found this helpful

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Betsy

One of my new favorites

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2015

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This little tractate is filled to the brim with knowledgeable and thoughtful explanations of various terms useful when considering Japanese aesthetics. Unlike so many 'touchy-feely' types of books about, for example, wabi-sabi, that go on and on with overwrought explanations, this book is concise, accurate, and profound.

9 people found this helpful

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Laura

Very nice book

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

Just what I wanted

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Top reviews from other countries

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Ersi Samara

Where learning is a pleasure

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 22, 2014

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I loved reading this book or maybe I should say I love doing it, since I am reading it again. It is becoming one of my favourite reference books that are also a delight to read. The structure in which this Tractate was written, following the Japanese rules of Zuhitsu, is an art practice in itself. And the analysis of Japanese aesthetics vs. our Western artistic values is very enlightening and inspiring. It is a book that is easy to read though the concepts presented may take some time to comprehend in depth, since they belong to an entirely different culture. Along with 'Wabi-sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers' by Leonard Koren and 'In Praise of Shadows' by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, I recommend this book to every reader as an introduction to Japanese and Oriental artistic and ethical principles.

3 people found this helpful

patranne

Quirky and learned

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2013

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I bought this as part of my research on a Fine Art dissertation about differing Japanese attitudes to perfection and permanence as evidenced in art and artefacts.

It proved very useful. It's short and, despite the forbidding title, not at all hard to read. It has also been set out in an unusual but effective fashion, so that you can read different aspects of the arguments separately if you choose.

I would certainly recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi etc.

2 people found this helpful

Thomas A. Regelski

Interesting and relevant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2017

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Only scratches the surface, but is generally interesting and relevant.

Mr. S. N. Lumb

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2015

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A good overview on Japanese culture and aesthetics.

Ayana Saito

Visão Geral da Estética Japonesa

Reviewed in Brazil on December 12, 2017

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Com argumentos inteligentes e muita bagagem cultural, Donald Richie discorre com elegância sobre alguns dos termos que permeiam a estética oriental. Algumas de suas conceituações são bastante ricas, outras, um tanto generalizadas. Perfeito para quem está começando sua jornada na estética japonesa ou tem curiosidade sobre a lógica dessa cultura espetacular.

2 people found this helpful

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