This book compiles spectacular photography of the Caen-based author, film-maker and photographer taken during his two stays in Japan. Born 1965 in Rouen, Pierre Faure first went to Japan in 2003 as part of his Villa Kujoyama scholarship and after his artistic examination of Paris, exploring the main cities of Kyoto, Tokyo and Kobe with his European curiosity. A short time after his first stay he returned to the country a second time in order to complete his photographic work.

The Japanese garden, like all gardens, is more than mere nature; it is nature crafted by man. It needs the hands of the designer to give it meaning.

The Japanese garden belongs to the realm of architecture; at its best, it is nature as art. The phases of its history document the constant redefinition of man's position within and towards nature. Its changing forms respond both to socio-economic developments and to religious and philosophical trends, and thereby reflect the spiritual climate in which its architecture was conceived.

At the same time as detailing the characteristics distinguishing and differentiating each of the five major epochs in the history of the Japanese garden, the author identifies the common motif which underlies them all: the recurrent attempt to unite beauty as natural accident and beauty as human-perfected type, to achieve an aesthetic symbiosis between the seeming randomness of natural form and the strict geometry of the right angle.

History, technique, content and style of Japanese prints This volume reproduces 139 Japanese woodblock colour prints by 43 famous masters of ukiyo-e, the popular art of the 17th to the 19th century. The originals are in the Riccar Art Museum in Tokyo, the world's largest and most celebrated collection of such prints. On account of their rarity and value, 87 of them have been designated Japanese National Treasures or Major National Cultural Heritage Items. The introductory essay, "Ukiyo-e - Origins and History", by the Curator of the Riccar Art Museum, Mitsunobu Sato, familiarizes the reader with the history of this art form.

This is followed by the chapter "Cherry - Wood - Blossom", in which Thomas Zacharias, Professor at the Munich Academy of Art examines the technique, content and style of Japanese prints and their influence on European art at the turn of the century.

The major section of the book consists of the 139 reproductions, grouped by artist, each accompanied by a detailed, sensitive commentary. Street scenes, lovers' trysts, festivals, portraits of courtesans and actors, landscapes and travelogues - these are the motifs of the ukiyo-e print. The dominant theme, however, is woman's beauty, the grace of her posture and attitudes, and the decorative aesthetics of her flowing garments. Amongst the most celebrated of the artists featured here are Utamaro, with his beautiful courtesans and geishas; Sharaku, with his portraits of actors on the kabuki stage; Hokusai, with his landscapes, among them the "36 Views of Mount Fuji"; and Hiroshige, with his "53 Stations on the To-kaido-" and his "100 Views of Famous Places in and around Edo".

The ten-page appendix includes a glossary of technical terms and biographies of all 43 artists.

The very best designs from all over Japan with a historical overview of the role of the Onsen.

So rich and unique is traditional Japanese architecture that it's hard to improve upon. Yet contemporary Japanese designers and architects keep finding new ways to refurbish and take inspiration from the ways of old.

Whether it's a pristinely preserved traditional house or a cutting-edge apartment, the best Japanese homes share a love of cleverly designed spaces and warm materials such as wood, bricks, and bamboo. From a thatched roof farmhouse occupied by a Zen priest to Tadao Ando's experimental 4x4 House, Shigeru Ban's conceptual Shutter House, and a beautiful homage to bamboo in the form of a home, this book traverses the multifaceted landscape of Japanese living today.

Also included is a list of addresses and a glossary of terms, such as tatami.

Первые изображения укие-э появились в XVII веке в Японии, в г. Эдо (современный Токио). Крупнейший город той эпохи, Эдо способствовал расцвету своеобразной городской культуры. Художники живо и ярко отображали радостные стороны жизни горожан. Именно поэтому их работы были известны как укие-э, или "картины изменчивого мира".

В основном термином укие-э называют ксилографии - изображения, которые граверы печатали с деревянных досок, подготовленных по оригинальным эскизам художников. Поскольку гравюры на дереве недороги, их можно было печатать массовыми тиражами. Гравюры отображали широкий диапазон тем: сцены повседневной жизни Эдо, виды достопримечательностей, зарисовки на исторические темы, пейзажи, изображения животных и цветов в разные времена года, эротические картинки, - словом, не было таких сюжетов, которые остались бы неохваченными. Особым спросом пользовались театральные сцены и сюжеты из жизни "веселых кварталов", в которых жители Эдо искали удовольствий и развлечений. Изображения куртизанок, гейш и служанок чайных домов были отдельным направлением в укие-э и назывались бидзин-га ("изображения красивых женщин"). Большой популярностью пользовались также якуся-э, изображавшие актеров театра Кабуки в знаменитых ролях.

Посмотреть англоязычное издание этой книги - Japanese Prints

This second installment in the new Top Architects series is dedicated to the best architects from Japan. Together with renowned names such as Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Shigeru Ban, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, Arata Isozaki, and Waro Kishi, this book presents rising stars in architecture in Japan. Each of the profiled works includes a biographical review of the architect and the architect's general vision of the work.

TASCHEN’s new architecture series brings a unique perspective to world architecture, highlighting architectural trends by country. Each book features 15 to 20 architects—from the firmly established to the up-and-coming—with the focus on how they have contributed to very recent architecture in the chosen nation. Entries include contact information and short biographies in addition to copiously illustrated descriptions of the architects’ or firms’ most significant recent projects. Crossing the globe from country to country, this new series celebrates the richly hued architectural personality of each nation featured.

Modelled on the format of Modern House, Modern House 2 and Modern House 3, Modern Japanese House is an overview of recent domestic design trends in Japan and features an array of projects from a variety of architects, both known and new to the international architecture scene. The projects are divided into five chapters - Tiny Houses, Inside/ Outside, Multi Generation Houses, Work/Play, and Vacation Houses - that reflect the issues particular to residential design in Japan. Architects featured include such familiar figures as Kazuyo Sejima, Jun Aoki, Shigeru Ban, Hitoshi Abe and Shuhei Endo, as well as lesser known practitioners such as Nobuaki Furuya and Hiroshii Nakao, among others.

From the kitsch cuteness of the ubiquitous Hello Kitty to the cult of manga and anime, Japanese design has long paved the way for the West to follow. Graphic Japan goes beyond this well-known territory to reveal the myriad styles of design produced in Japan today, from packaging to posters, typography to new media. Contemporary Japanese graphic design is a unique collision of traditional cultural influences and a focused thrust towards modernisation on global terms. No other country has found itself modernised so quickly while retaining such a distinct way of life, and the resulting graphic innovation enthralls the world. Divided into distinct sections, the book reflects the marriage of tradition and hyper-modernity that typifies Japanese design. Essays on today’s innovators are beautifully printed in a simple, elegant manner typical of traditional Japanese work, while visual matter is boldly, colourfully printed, reflecting the brash, global commerciality of much new material.

Перед вами книга, которая представляет элементы китайских и японских декоративных орнаментов. Китайские и японские орнаментальные традиции приобрели популярность во всём мире.

Альбом содержит предисловие на английском, испанском, немецком, итальянском, французском, китайском и японском языках. В издание вошли прекрасные японские мотивы, которые можно использовать как для создания самостоятельных работ, так и для вдохновения. На прилагаемом CD-диске все иллюстрации выполнены в формате с высоким разрешением, они готовы для использования в профессиональной печати и Web-дизайне.