Inspired Design: Japan's Traditional Arts

Almost every visitor to Japan finds him/herself fascinated by locally manufactured objects, perhaps a pair of chopsticks that cleverly employs the node of a bamboo stem, a box of matches with bold calligraphy, or an artistic arrangement of steppingstones in the garden of a temple. These designs reveal a unique genius unlike anything that is seen elsewhere. The Japanese artisan seems to have an uncanny knack of being able to look at basic materials: clay, fabric or metal, and imagine what can be made of them, in a way that is markedly different from the way that they are looked at in other countries. Inspired Design covers the whole range of traditional crafts made in Japan, both historic and contemporary. Starting with a description of the land of Japan, stretching from Siberian forests (Hokkaido Island) to the sub-tropical islands of Okinawa, and its natural materials: animal, vegetable and mineral, the book describes how Japanese artisans have used these raw materials to make a vast variety of