Craft Traditions

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Seeing Zen

Zenga from the Kaeru-An Collection

John Stevens and Felix Hess

Presents 127 of the best Zen artworks (Zenga) from over 560 pieces covering the entire spectrum of the genre, both chronologically and thematically. The renowned collection was assembled by Dr. Felix Hess, assisted by Professor John Stevens, an acknowledged authority on the painting, calligraphy, and poetry of Zen. Each artwork is presented on a full page in full color, with accompanying Japanese text from the artwork, English translation, and a contemplative commentary.

344 pp, 8.3 x 11.7 (A4), Hardcover
150 color photos / Artist biographies
Zen / Japanese art / Buddhism
ISBN: 978-1-891640-97-1
$70.00

The Iconic TATTOOED MAN of Easter Island

 

by Adrienne L. Kaeppler and Jo Anne Van Tilburg

An impressively tattooed Easter Island (Rapa Nui) man appears often in the pages of Pacific island history books and museum catalogs. His frank countenance belies the mystery that surrounds his identity. This book reveals who he was, who illustrated him, and how he transcended the tragic events of nineteenth-century Rapa Nui to become one of the best-known, most iconic faces of the Polynesian past.

64 pp, 8 x 10.25, Softcover with flaps
Shrink-wrapped in gift envelope
Fully illustrated, with Glossary, Notes, References
Rapa Nui (Easter Island) history & culture / Polynesian culture
ISBN: 978-1-7324952-0-3
$19.95

Now in paperback



Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding

Douglas Brooks

With Japan’s unprecedented modernization in the last century, the demand for traditional boats (wasen) faded, leaving the last generation of boatbuilders with no one to teach. This is the story of the author’s apprenticeships with five Japanese masters to build their unique and endangered traditional watercraft.

296 pp, 8.5 x 11, Soft
378 color photos, 36 drawings
Map, Notes, Bibliography, Glossary-Index
Boatbuilding / Japanese crafts
ISBN: 978-1-953225-00-9
$50.00

New from Douglas Brooks



The Cormorant Fishing Boat

A Japanese Craftsman’s Methods

Douglas Brooks

This book documents the collaboration of boatbuilder Douglas Brooks with 85-year-old master craftsman Seichi Nasu to build a cormorant fishing boat, in Gifu, Japan. Using trained cormorants to fish has a 1,300 year history in Gifu, and is done at night from special river craft called ubune.

84 pp, 8.5 x 11, Soft
120 color photo, maps, drawings
Boatbuilding / Japanese crafts
ISBN: 978-1-891640-01-8
$40.00

Japanese Scrolls

Their History, Art & Craft

William de DeLange, with Teruo Takayanagi

This is the first work to explore fully the history, art, and craft of the Japanese hanging scroll, or kakejiku, from its ancient Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese origins, through its introduction to Japan as early as the sixth century AD, to its role in the modern Japanese art world.

248 pp, 8.5 x 11 / Hardcover
224 Color photos, maps, drawings
Glossary, bibliography, index
Japanese crafts / East Asian art
ISBN: 978-1-891640-88-9
$60.00

Japanese Papermaking

Traditions, Tools, Techniques

by Timothy Barrett

This most comprehensive book on the subject sheds light on every facet of a time-honored craft and offers complete instructions on how to duplicate its exquisite results in the West.

328 pp, 7 x 10, Soft
91 monochrome photos / 75 line drawings
Appendixes, glossary, bibliography
Japanese crafts / Papermaking
ISBN: 978-1-891640-26-1
$50.00

Heaven Has a Face; So Does Hell

The Art of the Noh Mask

by Stephen E. Marvin

An extended treatise on the history of Noh and the evolution of its masks, showcasing in full color over 140 of the finest examples with detailed information on their creation, character, and significance, as well as photos of their backs showing inscriptions and artists’ signatures.

416 & 352 pp, 8.5 x 11, Hard, two volumes, boxed, limited to 1200 copies
150 full color, 220 monochrome illustrations, bibliography, glossary, index
Japanese art & collectibles / Theater arts
ISBN: 978-1-891640-32-2
$150.00

Tibetan Furniture

by Chris Buckley

Readers will learn to: identify the main types of Tibetan furniture; appreciate their origin and their uses; identify and understand the most common designs; judge the quality of pieces; and derive increased pleasure from Tibetan furniture they have bought.

240 pp, 8.5 x 11, Hard
Over 200 color illustrations, Bibliography, Index
Tibetan art / Collectibles
ISBN: 978-1-891640-20-9
$60.00

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Craft Traditions | Viewing Stones | Poetry and Literature in Translation | Books by Edward H. Schafer | Art Reference & Studies | Philosophy & Religion | History & Biography | Japanese Sword History | General Reference & Guides