Modern Japanese Circulation and Appreciation of Chinese Artworks

Author: Shigeharu Fujiwara
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The work presented to you is one of the volumes in the "Chinese Culture Studies Series." This series was born at the turn of the centuries, with each volume embodying the author's reflections on history while carrying aspirations for the future. In today's rapidly advancing process of internationalization, we hope these works will bring you joy in knowledge and enlightenment in life, and that you will cherish and love them for a long time. Set against the backdrop of the large-scale loss of Chinese cultural relics overseas in modern China, this book explores the various channels through which Chinese cultural relics flowed to Japan, as well as their subsequent circulation methods and processes. It takes the collision, integration, and transcendence of these relics with Japanese matcha tea ceremony utensils as the fundamental research path, successfully revealing within the unique perspective of modern Sino-Japanese cultural exchange how Chinese cultural relics, in their circulation in modern Japan, surpassed their original foundation of reception—the literati interest in Chinese cultural relics within the context of the matcha tea ceremony—to become a universal form of appreciation for Chinese art, and ultimately played a significant role in modern and contemporary Japanese artistic creation and appreciation. With a novel perspective, supported by numerous images and tables, Professor Fujiwara also presents a unique discussion on the special role played by the famous Yamaguchi Trading Company in this process. This is a highly academic work on Sino-Japanese cultural exchange. The book comprehensively elaborates on the background, causes, and impact of the circulation of Chinese cultural relics in modern Japan, with its fluent writing complemented by exquisite images, bringing the essence of Chinese culture vividly to life. The descriptions of Chinese ancient ceramics, bronze artifacts, and other artworks in the book make us feel proud and of the profound and rich civilization of China.