The great Japanese couturier, who once said that he never finished a garment - it was only complete when it had been worn for several years. His pioneering style was modern, functional yet l... read more
The art of imperfection: the work of the aged, self-taught hands of one of Japan's most highly regarded potters. Beautiful work, austere and anchored in ancient techniques of Japanese and Ko... read more
Basho's hauntingly beautiful account of his journey through late C17 Japan is an unparalleled work, in which he weaves together his travel experiences and haiku; Enchi and Tanizaki are two ... read more
Eight decades of Japanese architecture and design, approached chronologically. More illustrations than there are pages; the author has spent four of these decades based in Japan.
Bold building with timber, even in tall structures: Ban, the Japanese architect who won the Pritzker prize in 2014, also uses paper, adobe and other sustainable materials in innovative ways.... read more
Beauty and utility: all aspects of Japanese modern design - designers, artisans, manufacturers and technologies. The Kikkoman soy sauce bottle that never falls over, the Sony Walkman...
A preoccupation with stillness: a survey of Sugimoto's images, selected from his work over five decades. With textual contributions by many, including Edmund de Waal and Mami Kataoka.
What distinguished 'art' from 'Art' ? Types of display, collecting, certain kinds of knowledge becoming matters of profession, etc. A specialised and fascinating study that puts the subject ... read more
The Japanese sculptor is the fourth generation of a family of bamboo masters: this is a gorgeous book on his work - some of which is huge. Delightfully, his family name means "master of the... read more
The catalogue to accompany an exhibition at Museo delle Culture di Lugano in the Villa Malpensata, home to the Montgomery Collection. Textiles, paintings, objects of quotidian use, etc.
Published in February of this year to accompany the V&A's splendid exhibition - delayed, like so much else, to the late summer. Very good mix of exquisite antique pieces and contemporary fli... read more
A collection of nine essays that elaborate on the development and themes of Mingei, the Japanese art movement that found beauty in commonplace objects.
Photographs of many different subjects, by both Japanese and foreign photographers. With over 300 images, some domestic, others panoramic, this collection constitutes a unique visual record ... read more
The Nuremberg Trials had their counterpart in Japan. This is a thorough investigation of that process, and its significance to what happened afterwards in Asia.
An account by a London financier of her family in Japan over the last 150 years. The huge changes they have navigated are described with sympathy and careful research.
Shinichi Suzuki was a violinist who became more famous as an educator and philosopher; his ideas of language acquisition revolutionised musical training. He also did much to erode occidental... read more
This anthology of Japanese poetry dates from the C10th and became the basis of all later vernacular poetry including haiku. The early literary authors Shikibu and Shonagon drew from it too, ... read more
Takes the reader from the earliest written accounts to the present in vivid portraits. The empress Masako is there, and presumably princess Murasaki Shikibu, whose diary is not only fascina... read more
A splendid guide to over a hundred museums not only in Tokyo but far beyond - in Kyoto, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Shikoku, Kyushu, etc. Includes museums of traditional arts and artist's houses, as... read more
There is no clear distinction between art, craft and design in Japan. This fascinating book focuses on 25 artisans whose work is intended for every day life.. and is it art?
Set in post-war Japan, this is a Chandleresque tale of murder, political corruption and black marketeering, with a heavy-drinking investigator out on a limb. Familiar tropes perhaps, but in... read more
These spirits and their bizarre manifestations are not taken straight from the Japanese but rather from the English collections of the Meiji and Taisho eras, including those of Lafcadio Hear... read more
A fascinating introduction to one of the most important Buddhis texts, balanced by Kerr's experiences in Kyoto, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea and India. Kerr has spent most of his adult life living... read more
A remarkable work of research and skill, which brings to life Tsunemo, a country priest's daughter who defied conventions when her world was radically changing.
In 1600 Adams was the first English man to step on Japanese shores - one of only nine survivors of a Dutch trading expedition. He became the shogun's advisor and ship builder, and a samurai.... read more
Strange and serene novel from the great Hungarian writer: for centuries the grandson of Prince Genji has been searching for a mythical garden and now wanders the grounds of an ancient Kyoto ... read more
Tokyo, an astonishly good cook and multiple murders. This is not a who-dunnit but a why-dunnit - and there is much to savour, both malicious and delicious.
A young woman in Tokyo takes a few tentative steps outward after years of isolation. Kawakami's unsettling lyricism and candour about ordinary modern lives have made her one of Japan's most ... read more
The author's father was an American soldier who fell in love with a Japanese girl on the devastated island. This affecting book probes her own complex feeling and the attitudes among which s... read more
Like all well-loved nursery creatures, Teddy has lost one of his button eyes. Surely it's somewhere in the garden? A charming picture book from Japan for ages 4-6.