Kazari:Decoration & Display in Japan:15th-19th Centuries

Rating:
Summary: "Kazari" represents a triumph of curating and publishing
Review: For decades the Japan Society has mounted important and often innovative exhibitions of Japanese art at its New York premises and has issued academically-impeccable catalogues to accompany these shows. More recently, the Society has also established itself as a publisher of books on Japanese art that rank among the most beautiful, well-designed, and accessible to be found anywhere, a trend clearly evident with the issuance of "Kazari: Decoration and Display in Japan, 15th-19th Centuries."

In mounting its "Kazari" exhibition, which is being seen first in New York and then in London, the Society has played to its traditional strengths. These include a talent for working with other institutions (in this case the British Museum), an ability to borrow objects from a wide range of sources, and access to the best academic experts from the United States, Europe, and Japan. The happy result, as far as the book goes, is a series of illuminating essays that begin the volume followed by outstanding explanatory entries for each object on display. These entries include aesthetic analyses, interpretation of the symbols found, and comparisons, where applicable, of the art objects to similar ones. All told, this is a book that delights one's senses and sharpens one's appreciation of Japanese art while also shedding light on the fascinating world that was Edo-period Japan.