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      THE MODERN JAPANESE PRINT

      BOOKS BY JAMES A. MICHENER

      THE MODERN JAPANESE PRINT: An Appreciation

       THE HOKUSAI SKETCHBOOKS: Selections from the Manga

       JAPANESE PRINTS: From the Early Masters to the Modern

       SAYONARA

       THE BRIDGE AT ANDAU

       with A. Grove Day

       RASCALS IN PARADISE

       THE FIRES OF SPRING

       HAWAII

       THE BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI

       TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC

       CARAVANS

       THE SOURCE

       RETURN TO PARADISE

       THE VOICE OF ASIA

       THE FLOATING WORLD

      JAMES A. MICHENER

      THE MODERN

       JAPANESE PRINT

      AN APPRECIATION

      with ten prints by

      HIRATSUKA UN'ICHI • MAEKAWA SEMPAN

       MORI YOSHITOSHI • WATANABE SADAO • KINOSHITA TOMIO

       SHIMA TAMAMI. AZECHI UMETARO • IWAMI REIKA

       YOSHIDA MASAJI • MAKI HAKU

      CHARLES E. TUTTLE COMPANY: PUBLISHERS

       Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan

      Representatives

      Continental Europe: BOXERBOOKS, INC., Zurich

      British Isles: PRENTICE-HALL INTERNATIONAL, INC., London

      Australasia: BOOK WISE (AUSTRALIA) PTY. LTD.

      104-108 Sussex Street, Sydney 2000

      Published by the Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.

       of Rutland, Vermont &. Tokyo, Japan

       with editorial offices at

       Osaki Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0032

      Copyright in Japan, 1968, by Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc.

      All rights reserved

      Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 62-17555

      ISBN: 978-1-4629-0405-1 (ebook)

      First popular edition, 1968

      Fourth printing, 1982

      PRINTED IN JAPAN

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Publisher's Foreword: 7

      Introduction: 9

      Hiratsuka Un'ichi: "Lakeside at the Byodo-in": 15

      Maekawa Sempan: "Lamp": 19

      Mori Yoshitoshi: "Comic Shinto Dancers": 23

      Watanabe Sadao: "Listening": 27

      Kinoshita Tomio: "Faces": 31

      Shima Tamami: "Birds": 35

      Azechi Umetaro: "Mountaineer in Snow": 39

      Iwami Reika: "Winter Composition": 43

      Yoshida Masaji: "Earth": 47

      Maki Haku: "Ox": 51

      In Conclusion: 55

      PUBLISHER'S FOREWORD

      I N 1959 James Michener came to us with a unique and challenging idea. He wanted us to publish, in a deluxe format, an edition of original contemporary Japanese woodblock prints. Mr. Michener's reasons for making this request derived from his personal interest in the woodblock artists of Japan and, as he saw it then, their almost insurmountable struggle to make a living from their art.

      As publishers devoted to the concept of cultural interchange between the East and West, we quickly caught Mr. Michener's enthusiasm and agreed to the project.

      Then the work began. How should we determine which of the hundreds and thousands of contemporary woodblock prints might be included? We decided to sponsor a contest to be judged by a panel of qualified art experts in the United States and Japan. From a total of 275 prints submitted by 120 artists, ten were chosen as best representing "the richness and power of the modern Japanese print movement." The final selection is a beautiful and significant set of prints, running the stylistic gamut from representational to abstract, from typically Japanese to international, including both great old names and newcomers who are sure to become great.

      Finally, in 1962, The Modern Japanese Print — An Appreciation appeared as a limited edition of 475 copies in imperial folio size. The paper was the finest of handmade Japanese vellum; the binding, three colors of pure, fine-weave hemp cloth. It is a book in which we, and the author, take considerable pride, for it is more than a book; it is a work of art.

      The Modern Japanese Print met with wide critical and commercial acclaim. Now, several years later, it has been suggested that we bring out a popularly priced edition, thus displaying to a far wider audience the techniques and craftsmanship of this group of distinguished artists, along with Mr. Michener's perceptive, informative commentary.

      James Michener heartily endorses this version of what originated as a collector's item. We present this volume with renewed pride.

      INTRODUCTION

      I N the early summer of 1959, business required that I be in Tokyo during an exciting time in my life: word kept trickling through from New York telling of the unexpected good things that were happening to a novel I had recently completed, and it looked as if it might be a success. For five years I had worked on the novel, and to have it accepted was encouraging, but the degree of success promised by these first reports went well beyond my expectation. Thus early in the life of the book I was assured that the time I had invested in its writing would be repaid; whether or not the public would like the book would be determined later.

      As a result of the good news, I found myself assured of financial independence for a few more years, and I began to reflect upon how unfairly modern society distributes the rewards of art. I knew literally hundreds of able writers who found it impossible to earn a living, while to a few all good things happened. Once I myself had labored at writing

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