This very rare series of Japanese paintings depicts everyday artisans in feudal Japan. Extensive commentary provides insight into the historical and cultural context of the scenes. More than three centuries ago, not long after Japan had entered the period of seclusion decreed by her Tokugawa rulers, an unknown artist, or perhaps a group of artists, painted a series of pictures for an album portraying contemporary trades and crafts. In creating the scenes that compose this rare relic from Tokugawa days, the anonymous painter left for later ages an invaluable record of everyday human activity in the utilitarian arts for which Japan has long been famous. It is these pictures, carefully reproduced in collotype and color and accompanied by Eric Kaemmerer's perceptive comments, that make up the present volume. These scenes of Japanese life in the early 17th century introduce a variety of craftsmen ranging from needlemaker to swordsmith, from fanmaker to carpenter, from the creator of fragile lacquer ware to the fashioner of sturdy barrels. Their trades and crafts, many of which are still carried on with little change in present-day Japan, are portrayed with painstaking attention to detail and with a decided feeling for human interest.

Excerpt from Arts and Crafts of Old Japan This little book is intended not for the col lector or the connoisseur, but merely for those who require an introduction to a field of art hitherto little explored but which will well repay further study. For fuller information on the subject many sources are available, but a word of caution is necessary. A bibliography of works on Japanese art would be misleading rather than useful, for much of what has been written regarding it is, as criticism, quite valueless. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Arts and Crafts of Old Japan This little book is intended not for the collector or the connoisseur, but merely for those who require an introduction to a field of art hitherto little explored but which will well repay further study. For fuller information on the subject many sources are available, but a word of caution is necessary. A bibliography of works on Japanese art would be misleading rather than useful, for much of what has been written regarding it is, as criticism, quite valueless. On Japanese painting the most important, indeed the only sound work, is contained in a series of articles contributed by Mr Arthur Morrison to The Monthly Review, 1902-3. The writings of Mr E. F. Strange deal fully and adequately with Colour Printing; Captain Brinkley is a good authority on Keramics, and Mr Josiah Conder on Landscape Gardening and Flower Arrangement. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.