Japan Crafts Sourcebook: A Guide to Today's Traditional Handmade Objects

by Diane Durston (Introduction)

This is the first book to present today's traditional crafts under one cover and the first and only guide to the contemporary craft centers of Japan. A monumental effort seven years in the making, the Japan Crafts Sourcebook catalogs an array of items found throughout the country and discusses their history, background, and contemporary standing. An insightful introduction by Diane Durston delves into the intricacies of Japanese craft and contemplates the future of Japan's ongoing artisan traditions.
With over ninety items from all genres - textiles, ceramics, wood, bamboo, lacquer, paper, and metal - and a wealth of illustrations, the Japan Crafts Sourcebook provides the perfect introduction to this cherished but vanishing world, and will prove invaluable for artists, craftspeople, designers, researchers, and lovers of the handmade object everywhere.

Genres: Japan

207 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1996

Reviews

[Zombie Karin]

It would be worth it to check out this book again (and again). Lots of images from a variety of Japanese hand made objects and craft traditions.

I don't know how to feel about the explanations of each craft though--there were some in the textile section that I wasn't too sure about. (I didn't fully agree with some of the terms and adjectives used in the shibori section. Maybe she's using old-school terminology that has since been abandoned or replaced (which is very possible) or maybe her explanations were just not what I've learned before. Or maybe they were descriptions in layman's terms, and I didn't catch on.) So I wonder that means for the descriptions in other craft sections.

In any case, the images are plentiful.