Japan And The Culture Of The Four Seasons

Author : Haruo Shirane
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231152817
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.15/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons written by Haruo Shirane and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Elegant representations of nature and the four seasons populate a wide range of Japanese genres and media. In Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons, Haruo Shirane shows how, when, and why this practice developed and explicates the richly encoded social, religious, and political meanings of this imagery. Shirane discusses textual, cultivated, material, performative, and gastronomic representations of nature. He reveals how this kind of 'secondary nature, ' which flourished in Japan's urban environment, fostered and idealized a sense of harmony with the natural world just at the moment when it began to recede from view. Illuminating the deeper meaning behind Japanese aesthetics and artifacts, Shirane also clarifies the use of natural and seasonal topics as well as the changes in their cultural associations and functions across history, genre, and community over more than a millennium. In this book, the four seasons are revealed to be as much a cultural construction as a reflection of the physical world."--Back cover.

Author : Haruo Shirane
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231526520
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.24/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons written by Haruo Shirane and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-20 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elegant representations of nature and the four seasons populate a wide range of Japanese genres and media—from poetry and screen painting to tea ceremonies, flower arrangements, and annual observances. In Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons, Haruo Shirane shows how, when, and why this practice developed and explicates the richly encoded social, religious, and political meanings of this imagery. Refuting the belief that this tradition reflects Japan's agrarian origins and supposedly mild climate, Shirane traces the establishment of seasonal topics to the poetry composed by the urban nobility in the eighth century. After becoming highly codified and influencing visual arts in the tenth and eleventh centuries, the seasonal topics and their cultural associations evolved and spread to other genres, eventually settling in the popular culture of the early modern period. Contrasted with the elegant images of nature derived from court poetry was the agrarian view of nature based on rural life. The two landscapes began to intersect in the medieval period, creating a complex, layered web of competing associations. Shirane discusses a wide array of representations of nature and the four seasons in many genres, originating in both the urban and rural perspective: textual (poetry, chronicles, tales), cultivated (gardens, flower arrangement), material (kimonos, screens), performative (noh, festivals), and gastronomic (tea ceremony, food rituals). He reveals how this kind of "secondary nature," which flourished in Japan's urban architecture and gardens, fostered and idealized a sense of harmony with the natural world just at the moment it was disappearing. Illuminating the deeper meaning behind Japanese aesthetics and artifacts, Shirane clarifies the use of natural images and seasonal topics and the changes in their cultural associations and function across history, genre, and community over more than a millennium. In this fascinating book, the four seasons are revealed to be as much a cultural construction as a reflection of the physical world.

Author : Haruo Shirane
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231152809
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons written by Haruo Shirane and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2011-08-09 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elegant representations of nature, explicitly the four seasons, fill a wide range of Japanese genres and media, from poetry and screen painting to tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and annual observances. Haruo Shirane shows how, when, and why this first occurred and explicates the richly encoded meanings these representations embodied.

Author : Haruo Shirane
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231157304
Total Pages : 601 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Traditional Japanese Literature written by Haruo Shirane and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 601 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traditional Japanese Literature features a rich array of works dating from the very beginnings of the Japanese written language through the evolution of Japan's noted aristocratic court and warrior cultures. It contains stunning new translations of such canonical texts as The Tales of the Heike as well as works and genres previously ignored by scholars and unknown to general readers.

Author : 池田大作
Publisher : Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International ; New York : distributed in the United States through Harper & Row
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 132 pages
Book Rating : 4.18/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Letters of Four Seasons written by 池田大作 and published by Tokyo ; New York : Kodansha International ; New York : distributed in the United States through Harper & Row. This book was released on 1980 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Kodansha International
Publisher : National Geographic Books
ISBN 13 : 4770031432
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.33/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Four Seasons of Mt. Fuji written by Kodansha International and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2011-05-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. Because of its solemn and majestic view, this mountain has been adored as a religious object, and loved by people in Japan from ancient days. Even though it is hard to climb to the top, it is possible to ascend to the middle by car, so an increasing number of overseas visitors are now making the climb. What is mesmerizing about Mt. Fuji is its ever-changing appearance, transformed from day to night and season to season, yet always breathtaking. This book features forty images of the mountain taken by two professional photographers who have devoted many years to capturing its beauty on film. In addition to the photographs, there are images of Mt. Fuji in art and crafts, which emphasizes the importance of the mountain to many aspects of Japanese culture. Back matter includes a history of Mt. Fuji, popular climbing routes to the top, spots offering the best views, and maps for locating accommodations.

Author : Haruo Shirane
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231142366
Total Pages : 426 pages
Book Rating : 4.66/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Envisioning the Tale of Genji written by Haruo Shirane and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together scholars from across the world, Haruo Shirane presents a fascinating portrait of The Tale of Genji's reception and reproduction over the past thousand years. The essays examine the canonization of the work from the late Heian through the medieval, Edo, Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods, revealing its profound influence on a variety of genres and fields, including modern nation building. They also consider parody, pastiche, and re-creation of the text in various popular and mass media. Since the Genji was written by a woman for female readers, contributors also take up the issue of gender and cultural authority, looking at the novel's function as a symbol of Heian court culture and as an important tool in women's education. Throughout the volume, scholars discuss achievements in visualization, from screen painting and woodblock prints to manga and anime. Taking up such recurrent themes as cultural nostalgia, eroticism, and gender, this book is the most comprehensive history of the reception of The Tale of Genji to date, both in the country of its origin and throughout the world.

Author : Sumiko Kajiyama
Publisher : Museyon Inc.
ISBN 13 : 1938450973
Total Pages : 349 pages
Book Rating : 4.76/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Cool Japan written by Sumiko Kajiyama and published by Museyon Inc.. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by local expert Sumiko Kajiyama, Cool Japan explores the heart of Japanese culture and must-see places from a uniquely Japanese perspective. First, visit Kyoto, where you will discover 1,000 years of history, from the ancient love story the Tale of Genji to the traditional tea ceremony. Then head to Tokyo to experience Japan's cutting-edge capital, where the 21st-century kawaii culture collides with landmarks like the Kabuki-za Theater and the Imperial Palace. For a different perspective, venture outside the city to the serene towns of Tohoku, the region largely affected by the 2011 tsunami disaster. Informative, entertaining, and useful, this book is an ideal introduction for any traveler looking for a deeper understanding of Japanese culture, past and present.

Author : Pico Iyer
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0451493966
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.65/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Beginner's Guide to Japan written by Pico Iyer and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Arguably the greatest living travel writer” (Outside magazine), Pico Iyer has called Japan home for more than three decades. But, as he is the first to admit, the country remains an enigma even to its long-term residents. In A Beginner’s Guide to Japan, Iyer draws on his years of experience—his travels, conversations, readings, and reflections—to craft a playful and profound book of surprising, brief, incisive glimpses into Japanese culture. He recounts his adventures and observations as he travels from a meditation hall to a love hotel, from West Point to Kyoto Station, and from dinner with Meryl Streep to an ill-fated call to the Apple service center in a series of provocations guaranteed to pique the interest and curiosity of those who don’t know Japan—and to remind those who do of its myriad fascinations.

Author : Haruo Shirane
Publisher : Stanford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780804730990
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.97/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Traces of Dreams written by Haruo Shirane and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Basho (1644-94) is perhaps the best known Japanese poet in both Japan and the West, and this book establishes the ground for badly needed critical discussion of this critical figure by placing the works of Basho and his disciples in the context of broader social change.