This teaching novel by archaeologist Peter Bleed demonstrates the complexities of contemporary collecting of archaeological antiques and delves into the world of 14th century Japan. Dr. Eric Mallow, a serious gun collector, complicates his life by acquiring a pair of Japanese swords at a gun show. He has no idea one of the swords was the personal weapon of a 14th century patriot, or that the other carries a blood-thirsty reputation as the "Son Killer." Various attempts to get them back complicate his life, from a Japanese politician wants the swords to cement his control over a religious cult to the leader of a Tokyo crime syndicate. National Treasure treats 600 years of history and societies that are worlds apart with accuracy and cultural detail. The book was a Finalist, 2001 Independent Book Publishers Awards, Multicultural Fiction.

Consists of works created by the traditional artists awarded the Living National Treasure Award by the Japanese Government.

Sacred Heritage in Japan is the first volume to explicitly address the topics of Japanese religion and heritage preservation in connection with each other. The book examines what happens when places of worship and ritual practices are rebranded as national culture. It also considers the impact of being designated tangible or intangible cultural properties and, more recently, as UNESCO World or Intangible Heritage. Drawing on primary ethnographic and historical research, the contributions to this volume show the variety of ways in which different actors have contributed to, negotiated, and at times resisted the transformation of religious traditions into heritage. They analyse the conflicts that emerge about questions of signification and authority during these processes of transformation. The book provides important new perspectives on the local implications of UNESCO listings in the Japanese context and showcases the diversity of "sacred heritage" in present-day Japan. Combining perspectives from heritage studies, Japanese studies, religious studies, history, and social anthropology, the volume will be of interest to scholars and students who want to learn more about the diversity of local responses to heritage conservation in non-Western societies. It will also be of interest to scholars and students engaged in the study of Japanese religion, society, or cultural policies.

From Japan's first forays onto the international stage of world's fairs in the late 19th century to the dynamic creativity of the 1920 and 1930s, from the heady post-World War II period to the present day, Japanese crafts have exhibited a rich diversity of media and techniques. One of the first illustrated surveys in English of modern-era Japanese crafts--including ceramics, lacquerware, metalcraft, and wood--this elegant book, with 70 color illustrations, is an invaluable guide for the collector and scholar. Focusing on an important collection of Japanese crafts destined for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the text discusses the artists and ideas that shaped and defined the aesthetic of 20th-century Japan, noting that this nation--which so deeply appreciates and fosters its crafts traditions--hails its artists as "living national treasures." The book also includes artists' biographies and reproductions of their signatures and marks. Published in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Philadelphia Museum of Art (December 6, 2008 - fall 2009)