The motifs are organized according to broad thematic categories such as "the cosmos, heaven and earth" and "animals of the land and sea," among others, allowing for broad reading on a number of topics of interest to a wide variety of readers, including collectors of Asian art and students of Japan.".

A handy sourcebook of 400 Japanese-style motifs – one of the most stylish genres of illustration and ideal for all kinds of creative work. The motifs cover Japanese animals, from cranes and Koi carp to cats and dragons; Japanese plants, such as cherry blossom and bamboo, plus Japanese patterns that range from the simple to the elaborately exotic. The stunning hand-drawn motifs – which are all included on the accompanying CD – are ideal for all those working creatively. Whether you are a quilter, embroiderer, woodworker, designer or general crafter, there is a motif for you here.

During America's Gilded Age (dates), the country was swept by a mania for all things Japanese. It spread from coast to coast, enticed everyone from robber barons to street vendors with its allure, and touched every aspect of life from patent medicines to wallpaper. Americans of the time found in Japanese art every design language: modernism or tradition, abstraction or realism, technical virtuosity or unfettered naturalism, craft or art, romance or functionalism. The art of Japan had a huge influence on American art and design. Title compares juxtapositions of American glass, silver and metal arts, ceramics, textiles, furniture, jewelry, advertising, and packaging with a spectrum of Japanese material ranging from expensive one-of-a-kind art crafts to mass-produced ephemera. Beginning in the Aesthetic movement, this book continues through the Arts & Crafts era and ends in Frank Lloyd Wright's vision, showing the reader how that model became transformed from Japanese to American in design and concept. Hannah Sigur is an art historian, writer, and editor with eight years' residence and study in East and Southeast Asia. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and is completing a PhD in the arts of Japan. Her writings include co-authoring A Master Guide to the Art of Floral Design (Timber Press, 2002), which is listed in "The Best Books of 2002" by The Christian Science Monitor and is now in its second edition; and "The Golden Ideal: Chinese Landscape Themes in Japanese Art," in Lotus Leaves, A Master Guide to the Art of Floral Design (2001). She lives in Berkeley.

This book presents over 600 traditional Japanese motifs, ranging from ukiyo-e, ghost stories, kamon and Noh plays to traditional patterns, which include introductions of their cultural backgrounds. It also showcases outstanding graphic works inspired by and integrated with specific motifs, and features interviews with distinguished designers, aiming to provide an insight into the traditional Japanese culture through contemporary design.

Over 250 readily usable, royalty-free, authentic Japanese designs -- from ceramics, textiles, more. Includes florals, demons, animals, geometrics, more.

Describes historical, legendary, and supernatural persons, animals, and objects that recur as symbols in Oriental art and literature

"Crafts were central to daily life in early modern Japan. They were powerful carriers of knowledge, sociality, and identity, and how and from what materials they were made were matters of serious concern among all classes of society. In Craft Culture in Early Modern Japan, Christine M. E. Guth examines the network of forces--both material and immaterial--that supported Japan's rich, diverse, and aesthetically sophisticated artifactual culture between the late sixteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. Exploring the institutions, modes of thought, and reciprocal relationships among people, materials, and tools, she draws particular attention to the role of women in crafts, embodied knowledge, and the special place of lacquer as a medium. By examining the ways and values of making that transcend specific media and practices, Guth illuminates the 'craft culture' of early modern Japan"--

A History of Japanese Art offers readers a comprehensive view of Japanese art through Japanese eyes--a view that is the most revealing of all perspectives. At the same time, it provides readers with a guide to the places in Japan where the best and most representative creations of Japanese art are to be seen.