Elements of Japanese Design - Softcover

De Mente, Boye Lafayette

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080483749X ISBN 13: 9780804837491

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, 2006

Synopsis

Learn the elements of the timeless beauty that is Japanese design in this concise reference volume. Japanese design is known throughout the world for its beauty, its simplicity, and its blending of traditional and contemporary effects. This succinct guide describes the influence and importance of 65 key elements that make up Japanese design, detailing their origins--and their impact on fields ranging from architecture and interior design to consumer products and high fashion. Learn, for example, how the wabi sabi style that's so popular today developed from the lifestyle choices made by monks a thousand years ago. And how unexpected influences--like tatami (straw mats) or seijaku (silence)--have contributed to contemporary Japanese design. Elements of Japanese Design offers new insights into the historical and cultural developments at the root of this now international aesthetic movement. From wa (harmony) to kaizen (continuous improvement), from mushin (the empty mind) to mujo (incompleteness), you'll discover how these elements have combined and evolved into a powerful design paradigm that has changed the way the world looks, thinks and acts. Chapters include: Washi, Paper with Character Ikebana, Growing Flowers in a Vase Bukkyo, The Impact of Buddhism Shibui, Eliminating the Unessential Kawaii, The Incredibly "Cute" Syndrome Katana, Swords with Spirit

About this title

About the Author:

Boye Lafayette De Mente has been involved with Japan, China, and Korea since the late 1940s as a member of a U.S. intelligence agency, student, trade journalist, editor, and author working out of Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He is a graduate of Jochi University in Tokyo and The American Institute for Foreign Trade (now Thunderbird: The School of Global Management). His 70-plus books include Japan's Cultural Code Words, Business Guide to Japan, and Japan Unmasked.

Synopsis:

With an economy of approach that seems compatible with the contents, this book offers succinct discussion of 65 elements of Japanese design, each described in one or two pages. De Mente has studied Japan for about a half century and has worked there in many capacities. His accessible presentation of concepts offers a rich source of insight and, pos

About this edition

• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 080483749X
• ISBN 13: 9780804837491
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128