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Rating: 
Summary: The Elements of Japanese Design
Review: A great book for someone who wants information on Kamon. In the first few pages there is a history of Mon. The Mon are separated by type and a short description is given of each. This is an excellent reference book.
Rating:
Summary: It's more than what you think it is!
Review: I didn't realize the true value of this book until a year after I had initially read it. It's a great book about Japanese crests. The pictures are clear and very sharp. There are a lot of kamon in the book, but not as many as others, so I put the book down...my mistake! The book is filled with descriptions of the meanings and significance of each kamon! Mr. Dower writes of where the crest orginated when it is used, what season it is associated with, what meaning it has if associated with other motifs, etc. With the text and pictures one can actually recognize and understand the symbolism in Japanese art, kimono, etc. I can now tell what season it is in Japan by just looking at the kimono people wear or the tapestry hung on the wall (if the people who wear the kimono, hung the tapestry, etc. understand the symbolism...which many now don't :(...)! There is also a short history of the kamon in the beginning :) The story of how the author came upon the illustrations for the crests is very interesting, too! But...this book will not tell you the surnames that go with the crest. Granted, it will tell you of some of the really famous names that go with some of famous kamon, but not all of them. I think this book is a must for anyone who is really interested in Japanese culture. (The other books on kamon I have are just for people interested in kamon.) I have loved it so much that the binding is coming apart...
Rating:
Summary: It's more than what you think it is!
Review: I didn't realize the true value of this book until a year after I had initially read it. It's a great book about Japanese crests. The pictures are clear and very sharp. There are a lot of kamon in the book, but not as many as others, so I put the book down...my mistake! The book is filled with descriptions of the meanings and significance of each kamon! Mr. Dower writes of where the crest orginated when it is used, what season it is associated with, what meaning it has if associated with other motifs, etc. With the text and pictures one can actually recognize and understand the symbolism in Japanese art, kimono, etc. I can now tell what season it is in Japan by just looking at the kimono people wear or the tapestry hung on the wall (if the people who wear the kimono, hung the tapestry, etc. understand the symbolism...which many now don't :(...)! There is also a short history of the kamon in the beginning :) The story of how the author came upon the illustrations for the crests is very interesting, too! But...this book will not tell you the surnames that go with the crest. Granted, it will tell you of some of the really famous names that go with some of famous kamon, but not all of them. I think this book is a must for anyone who is really interested in Japanese culture. (The other books on kamon I have are just for people interested in kamon.) I have loved it so much that the binding is coming apart...
Rating: 
Summary: Dower's book a classic
Review: John Dower's study of Japanese crests and heraldry benefits from the same lucid writing and impeccable research that this MIT historian has brought to all of his work, including his recent National Book Award study of postwar Japan. The illustrations are excellent and the introduction, in particular, should be required reading for all those interested in Japanese history, heraldry, and samurai practices. It is just as valuable for those with a more generic interest in how heraldry has been used over time and across cultures.
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