A wonderful compilation of poems, well translated by Sam Hamill and Keiko Matsui, illustrated by Stephen Addiss, written by the "goddess of poetry", Yosano Akiko (1878-1942). In the introduction, there is a brief description of the life of this wonderful woman poet. There we learn that she was the epitome of early twentieth century Japanese feminism, social reform and romanticism. The poet was so noted by her peers, that her era is referred to as the Age of Akiko. Born out of a family of poets and literati, she was initially despised by her father, who sought a male son. Afterwards, her father gave her the best available education and supported her fully. Her life was full of adversities and triumphs, and her love story with a romantic womanizer poet, Yosano Hiroshi (pen name Tekkan) reminds me, in a way, of Frida Kahlo's relationship with Diego Rivera. Proficient in modern occidental literature, she can be seen, in the context of her times, as a modernist poet; the first in Japanese history to criticize openly the emperor. Throughout the poems written in tanka form, compiled in this edition, we can perceive and feel her struggle to look directly into the heart and reveal the complexity of the human being, as well as the hues of erotic, spiritual and familial love. There are also some modern style poems which confirm, again the genius and sensibility of the greatest 20th century woman poet of Japan.
"Raindrops continue
to fall on white lotus leaves.
While my lover paints
I open the umbrella
on his little boat....." Long live Akiko!

As a poet, I can barely open this book without the muse whispering in my ear. The translations are superb - page after page of delicious tanka with a small section of "modern style poems" at the end. The brush illustrations by Stephen Addiss visually enhance a magnificent experience. Don't miss it!

This volume of poetry has the same high quality one has come to expect of Sam Hamill. It is enhanced by brush and ink illustrations by Stephen Addiss and a brief biographic introduction to the poem Yosano Akiko.

The most jarring poems are the twelve in modern style - jarring in the sense of being furthest from the reader's expectations. "Women Are Plunder" is a feminist poem opening with the image of a department store sale as a universal call to women. "The Town of Amazement" describes a Utopia - one without student plays - in which the power structure (political, educational, legal, religious. famial) is leveled. "Cold Supper" explores family financial troubles, a plight frequent in the poet's life. "You Shall Not Be Killed, Brother!" is a pacifist poem. Most of these modern poems are relatively time bound - interesting but ephemeral with some exceptions.

The poems written in the traditional tanka form, however, are more universal exploring sensuality, sexuality, religion ... An example: "On her cheek and mine, / although our minds so differ, / like utter strangers, / the pine winds blow equally - / almost as though we were friends." In these poems one sees a genius transforming traditional image and form into something new, expressing experience previously hidden and confronting the changing views of society.

Left alone to my own vices one afternoon at a friend's loft, I happened upon A Haiku Garden which I devoured with delight and then made an excuse for my friend to invite me over again.

The woodcut reproductions are priceless and a source of inspiration to a non-artistic poet. A wonderful "tea table" book and a perfect gift. In fact, I plan to buy a copy for myself!

I recommend this wonderful book for the inspiration it gives. The poetry is accessible and charming. The reproductions of woodcuts are beautiful. Anyone who would like to try writing Haikus as a meditation, or for fun will find that it starts to happen almost automatically.

As the preface to "Japanese Ghosts and Demons" notes, this book is the fruit of interdisciplinary studies undertaken by the Spencer Museum of Art and the University of Kansas at Lawrence. And it is the results of just such an interdisciplinary approach that have lifted this book out of the realm of an ordinary exhibition catalogue and propelled it into the rarified ranks of an art history classic.

In historical terms, the focus of the book is the Edo period. This long (1615-1868) and peaceful period saw a concatenation of several important trends, including the perfection of the woodblock print, a democratization of art that--for the first time in Japan--served the masses, the rise of the kabuki theater, and a diffusion of popular literature and tales that often focused on the ghostly and the supernatural. The fusion of these trends was most clearly seen in the woodblock prints of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Utagawa Kunisada, and Ichiryusai Kuniyoshi, many of which are reproduced here. These three giants of the late woodblock period not only made a major contribution in documenting the theatrical and literary trends of the Edo period but also provided many of the visual models still employed in Japanese-style tattooing.

Apart from the rich feast of art presented in this book, "Japanese Ghosts and Demons" will nourish the souls of those interested more in the fields of anthropology and comparative religion. Even today, when Japan has emerged as one of the most technologically advanced nations on earth, fundamental cultural beliefs are still strongly informed by a sense of mutability. "Japanese Ghosts and Demons" makes an important contribution to explaining this phenomenon, in which the boundaries between the living and the dead, humankind and animals, the animate and the inanimate, and the sacred and profane are far more permeable than is believed to be the case in the modern West. Several thousand years ago, before the rise of the three great monotheistic religions, most of the world's societies believed in a universe more pregnant with magical possibilities, a type of universe that this book helps us better understand.

If you are looking for sources for traditional japanese art for tattooing purposes this is an excellent place to start. I was very suprised when I got this book and found it to be SO thorough and much nicer than I expected. If you're expecting a flimsy cheap paperback, this is not it. It is a quality book very thick and almost as sturdy as a hardbound, perfect for reference material for a tattooer!

I have been waiting a long time for a book like this. My interest in Zen and its relation with art began many years ago, and since then I bought a lot of books about the theme. But this one is quite different. It has the depth that any serious investigator of japanese culture or zen art's lover is searching in a book. Two things happen to be the most fascinating to me: the quality of the illustrations (superb), and the feelings transmited by the author about this real masters (not only zen masters, but life masters as well). The work of Audrey Yoshiko Seo will be in a short time recognized as a book for reference for students of oriental art, and a book capable of bringing a touch of calm by contemplating the excellent plates showed. The text is profound and sensitive. The lives of this contemporary masters and the facts that made their inspiration flow, are descripted with clarity and passion. This book moves me at a point that makes me feel really close to the heart of these masters of life. I will be waiting for another work of the author. Congratulations.

"The Art of Zen" is a beautiful, beautiful book and has taken its place on my read-again-and-again bookshelf. The 200+ page book is not only packed with the history of zen in Japan as exemplified by the major zen monk artists but complemented by many examples of their art. The history is divided into seven major periods that discussed the political and cultural climate of Japan as well as the philosophic perspective of Zen Buddhism.

There are extensive biographies of each of the major monk artists with examples of the work and, often times, their poetry. For example, the death poem of Ryonen, one of zen nuns, reads, "In the autumn of my 66th year, I've already lived a long time- The intense moonlight is bright upon my face. There's no need to discuss the principles of koan study; Just listen carefully to the wind outside the pines and cedars."

In addition, Addis brings an artist's eye to the paintings and his commentaries on technique, execution and innovation are enlightening (no pun intended)and help to explain how zen seeks to express the "inexpressible."

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Zen, in art, in the Japanese culture or with a desire to better understand the view of life seen by awakened men and women.

Burton Watson, the well-known translator of 'The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu' and Ssu-Ma Chien's 'Records of the Grand Historian of China,' here turns his attention to something much slighter, though perhaps no less profound.

'Four Huts' is made up of four short prose pieces or 'chi' (Records) praising the wisdom of the simple life: 'Record of the Thatched Hall on Mount Lu,' by the major T'ang poet, Po Chu-i; 'Record of the Pond Pavilion' by Yoshishige no Yasutane; 'Record of the Ten-Foot-Square-Hut' by Kamo no Chomei; and 'Record of the Hut of the Phantom' by the famous haiku poet, Matsuo Basho.

All four of these 'Records' or essays have the same theme: the wisdom of removing oneself from the rat-race, setting up a simple residence in beautiful natural surroundings, and getting back in touch with one's real nature and with real things. They celebrate, as Po Chu-i puts it, being 'happy with one's surroundings and at peace within' (page 9). Short, and easy to read, it would be a wonderful book to have along with you on your next trip to the forests, lakes, or mountains.

The book also contains a brief, though somewhat uninspired Preface, by Watson; brief Introductions and endnotes to each piece; and twelve fine halftone illustrations, by the remarkably competent Zen calligrapher Stephen Addiss, which help set the mood

It's a small and beautiful book of just 132 pages that will easily fit into a purse or shirt-pocket, well-printed in two colors on a heavy high-quality ivory-tinted paper, bound in a stiff glossy illustrated wrapper, and it even has persimmon endpapers. As a book, it would have been perfect if only someone had thought to add stitching.

Most of us probably realize that it is the simplest things in life that bring us the greatest joys - a simple and unostenatious dwelling, time in which to unwind and become what we are supposed to be, a refreshing breeze, sunlight, wholesome food, raindrops, birdsong, the sound of water, children's laughter, a well-loved book.

But despite knowing this we allow ourselves to be seduced by the tinsel glamor and superficial excitements of the bustling metropolis. And the question raised by this book is just which of the two, the simple or the glamorous, provides the richest and most rewarding satisfactions?

'Four Huts' will probably be read by those who need it least. But it would make an ideal gift for some Prozac-popping friend you think needs it most. It might, with a bit of luck, just end up changing their life.

A wonderful juxtaposition of woodblock prints paired with haiku poems.The book divides the creatures into categories based on their actions so we have "walkers" and "fliers" and "crawlers" and "swimmers".

Issa, of course, is well-represented since he dealt with creatures in so many of his haiku. However, the inclusion of lesser-known haijin is certainly welcome. Has anyone not related to the following:

There's nothing
he doesn't know --
the cat on the stove

Fusei

Lovingly crafted and published, this book makes a thoughtful and classy gift.
I have recommended this volume to many friends and I recommend
it to you.

This is a great book! It touches upon all the major categories of Japanese arts, such as ceramics, Buddhist sculpture, Zen painting, calligraphy, woodblock prints and gardens, in a simple and delightful way without missing essential points. Its excellent color plates and clever comparisons enable beginners to travel easily in this new and enchanting world of arts. I especially found the "key questions" for different types of arts at the end of each chapter useful for my continuous appreciation of Japanese art as well as the visual arts in general.

Translations of and commentary on one author's Taoist poems are presented in a warm blend of spiritual, religious and philosophical inspection which considers the last of the great poet-painters of Japan. Over 150 of his poems are treated to an appraisal which considers both form and content in a fine coverage worthy of inclusion in any strong Asian collection.

I wouldn't recommend this book as your first translation of the Tao Te Ching, hence the 4 stars, but I absolutely would recommend it as a second copy if you finish reading a translation and are craving more Tao, more depth.

The authors do an excellent job of describing their approach to this translation - a more literal and less interpretive approach than most. It allows someone familiar with the Tao Te Ching a more flexible look at what Lao Tzu had to say. A glossary includes the direct translation of several of the characters, and the authors have left in one line of the original Chinese characters in each section.

Because the translation is so literal, the intrinsic underlying points of the Tao Te Ching seem more obscured to me, rather than less, and if I did not already have some history with the Tao Te Ching, I would lose interest in this before I found my way through this book.

I am by no means a scholar of Chinese. Much as I'd like to, grasping the vagaries of classical Chinese characters is still beyond me. I'm just a philosophy student looking for understanding and inspiration.

However, bar none, this is the best translation of the Tao Te Ching I've ever read (I own 2 and have browsed 6 or 7 more.). It strikes the perfect balance between literalism and interpretation. Anyone who's looked at the original Chinese characters knows that it's tough to literally translate into English - many connectives we use to make things flow are just not present in the Chinese. Addiss and Lombardo don't overdo it, though, in making the verses comprehensible - they add only enough in the way of connectives to allow the verses to register in an English speaking mind.

If I were to recommend any edition of the Tao Te Ching to someone, this would be it. It is the best English approximation of the simplicity of the original epigrams and phrases. Where other translations can be bogged down with frilly adjectives and add-ons, this one strips itself down to the bare essentials - not only approaching the spareness of the original, but also the theme - 'ten thousand things' are 19,999 too many!

Addiss and Lombardo's translation is simply the best translation of the standard (Wang Bi edition) of the Daode jing. It's also one of the cheapest, and is beautifully illustrated. The translation is terse, crisp and rhythmic, like the original Classical Chinese. This doesn't make it easy for you to understand but instead you have to do the work to make sense out of it yourself. I use it in all my classes.