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New Publications

The Power of Dogu: Ceramic Figures from Ancient Japan

Edited by Simon Kaner
Assistant Director, Sainsbury Institute
The British Museum Press, 2009

Born from the earliest dated tradition of pottery manufacture in the world, dogu abstract clay figurines with recognisably human features - are a link back to the lost worlds of the remarkable Jomon period (c. 10,000-500 BC). They have been excavated in large quantities from sites throughout the country. Many were deliberately broken before burial which has raised intriguing questions about their possible uses.This catalogue will illustrate 70 dogu, the most important of which have been designated as either National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. In addition to the descriptions of the pieces themselves, the book will include chapters written by experts in the field exploring the wider East Asian setting and the significance of this context in understanding Japanese prehistory.

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Sharaku and Other Hidden Japanese Masterworks from the Land of NAUSICAA

Tokyo Metropolitan Edo-Tokyo Museum, 2009

This catalogue, published in conjunction with the 'Sharaku and Other Hidden Japanese Masterworks from the Land of NAUSICAA' exhibition held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Edo-Tokyo Museum (4 July-6 September 2009), celebrates the discovery of a painting by Toshusai Sharaku at the Museum of Asian Art in Corfu in July 2008. It features Japanese art collected by Gregorios Manos, a Greek diplomat who established the Museum of Asian Art in Corfu, and contains 120 works and chapter introductions by Kawai Masatomo, Asano Shugo and Naito Masato. It includes entries and biographies by Abiko Rie, Asano Shugo, Fujisawa Murasaki, Hinohara Kenji, Idemitsu Sachiko, Kawai Masatomo, Kuwayama Dona, Kobayashi Tadashi, Naito Masato, Yamamoto Yukari and Wagatsuma Naomi (translated by Alfred Haft, Edwin Cranston, Kazuko Morohashi, Lucy North).

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Arata Isozaki

Edited by Ken Tadashi Oshima
Associate Professor of Architecture, University of Washington
Phaidon, 2009

Arata Isozaki has conceived this monograph in collaboration with Ken Tadashi Oshima. It presents a unique tour through his architecture from the first visionary urban projects of the 1960s to his latest buildings from all over the world. The projects featured in the book have been carefully selected from Isozaki's vast portfolio. They are not presented in chronological order; they are grouped in chapters titled and arranged in accordance with Isozaki's instructive categorizations of his own work. Each of the six chapters contains conceptual texts by Isozaki (many previously untranslated from the original Japanese or unpublished); critical analysis by Oshima; a main case study project, extensively illustrated and explored; and a survey of related projects.

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Reading Surimono: The Interplay of Text and Image in Japanese Prints

Edited by John T. Carpenter
Reader in the Japanese Art, SOAS, University of London
Hotei Publishing, 2008

This catalogue, published in conjunction with the exhibition 'Surimono: Poetic Allusion in Japanese Prints' at Museum Rietberg Zurich, investigates surimono as a hybrid genre combining literature and art. Translations are provided for all poems accompanying the prints. It features over 400 illustrations, including rare and previously unpublished surimono of artists such as Gakutei, Hokkei, Hokusai and Kunisada, and contributions from eleven Japanese art and literary specialists. Essays focus on issues such as text-image interaction and iconography, poetry and intertextuality, the operation of Kabuki fan clubs and poetry circles and Lusy's accomplishments as a lithographer and collector. Translations of kyoka (31-witty verse) that accompany images are given for all prints. The volume also includes a comprehensive index of poets with Japanese characters.

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