Историческая литература
Различные книги в жанре Историческая литератураOrnamented Chair
Discriminating decorators and collectors, no less than dealers and researchers in antiques, have long felt the need of a comprehensive study of the ornamented chair and its development in America. This book is the product of an effort to satisfy that need and at the same time to bring new pleasures to lovers of beautiful furniture.The book is based on photographic and research material collected by the late Esther Stevens Brazer, who spent a lifetime in the study and revival of early American decoration.The authors are all qualified researchers, teachers, and decorators. In their text they present a general history of chair types, facts regarding ornamentation, and informative accounts of some of the leading craftsmen and decorators of the various periods. The final chapter of the book briefly relates the history of the Society and describes how its members carry forward the efforts of Esther Stevens Brazer, maintaining in their research, their teaching, and their restorations the standards of an old craft and the traditions of its finest workmen.
Nagauta
This study of Japanese music explore Nagauta or literally «long song»—the delicate and complex music that accompanies kabuki theater—in great detail.The Kabuki theater of Japan has achieved a growing reputation as one of the world's most brilliant achievements in the field of theater. And the number of studies made on the subject in the West has been considerable. Yet, in spite of the fact that so much of the unique brilliance of the kabuki stage depends on the character of its music, the manner in which it is used, and its integral connection with the development of the dramatic impact of the plays, very little has been written on this phase of the genre.Of particular interest are the attempts to explore the various approaches to form music in the vast repertoire of this living art music. The playing techniques of the instruments are explained, and the relations of each instrument's music to the vocal line and to the overall design is shown.The analysis is accompanied by two compete transcription of nagauta in Western notation. These transcriptions are the first complete scores of nagauta ever printed. Additional musical examples, bibliography, discography, and glossary-index add value to the text.
None but the Nightingale
This classic introduction to the Chinese literature is a fundamental step towards the West's understanding of the rich literary legacy of China.Readable, condensed, entertaining, the selections contained in this book belong to enduring world literature; the «Great Society» envisioned by Confucius; the «Fireside Chats» of K'ang Hei; the supercilious letter of the Emperor Ch'ien Lung to King George of England; the "Memorial: on the Bone of Buddha”; the imaginative lines of the poets.The wit and wisdom of China dispel time and distance and bring East and West together as the heart and soul of a great people is revealed in their stories, anecdotes, essays, and poems. Here is a close-up view of the educational system, home life, and government of old China as found in their own writings, with personal glimpses of some of the great—the emperors bathing in their crystal pools, of Lao Tzu in his library, and Confucius in his fur-lined underwear.
Ornamented Tray
This authoritative and definitive work contains the first formal history of antique trays every published. Each of its six chapters is written by a different authority. They discuss:Lace-Edge PaintingThe «Chippendale» StyleTrays Ornamented with Gold LeafThe Freehand Bronze TechniquesStenciled TraysThe Country Painted TrayThe book is lavishly illustrated with more than 500 photographs, seven of them in full color, including pictures of trays prized by museums and private collectors, as well as hundreds selected from the unique photographic collection of the late Esther Stevens Brazer.
Ninja
Ninjutsu is the most renowned and misunderstood of all martial arts. The long history of ninjutsu is often murky; surrounded by mystery and legend. Here, for the first time, is an in-depth, factual look at the entire art of ninjutsu, including the emergence of the ninja warriors and philosophy in feudal Japan; detailed historical events; its context in the development of other schools of martial arts; and the philosophies and exercises of the school today.<br><br>Based on more than ten years of study and translation of authentic Japanese texts, including many that have never before been translated, this is the most comprehensive and accurate study on the art of ninjutsu ever written outside of Japan. This ninja book includes studies of ninjutsu history, philosophy, wisdom, and presents a wide range of information from authors, historians, chronicles and scrolls in order to foster a deep understanding of this «shadowy» art.<br><br>For those who train in ninjutsu, for other martial art practitioners, for historians, and for anyone with interest in Japanese feudal history or Japanese martial arts, <i>The Ninja: Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan</i> shines a light on this enigmatic subject.
Four Seasons of T'ang Poetry
This substantial collection of Tang Dynasty poetry includes extensive commentary and notes—offering insight into this rich literary heritage."Stretching out my hand I feel the pulse of the stars," wrote Li Po, one of the most famous of the T'ang dynasty poets. This superlative study of the Golden Age of Chinese poetry, based on nearly 50,000 poems written by more than 2,000 poets, captures not only the pulse of that period but also the spirit and soul.Of this Tang blossoming, Dr. Wu says that for nearly thirteen centuries after Christ, poetry in Europe, with the exception of Juvenal, kept a death–like silence. It hibernated so long that when it woke up again in the person of Dante, the last poetic voice it could remember was that Virgil. It seems though Mother Earth purposely rocked Europe to sleep for some time that she might teach Asia to sing. These poetic interpretations, including comparisons with many Western poets such as Shakespeare and T.S. Eliot, represent a remarkable scholarly achievement.
Calabashes and Kings
This eloquent and hauntingly evocative story of Hawaii is a true classic and is an essential read for any enthusiast of Hawaiian culture and history.With a sincerity and candor often lacking in books stressing the exotic and unusual, the author says there is no denying that Hawaii presents the usual blend of the lovely and the unlovely and is no more perfect than any other place. He writes of «a one–way street to happy adventure in the South seas; a background of the Polynesian sort, so easy–going and laughter–provoking on the surface, so tragic at its end; green valleys barred with rainbows, and windswept palis.»He write of Robert Lois Stevenson, who found peace in the iridescent Hawaiian Isles; of Mark Twain, who wrote, «No alien land in all the world has any deep strong charm for me but that one.» On the tragic side , he includes a very vivid description of the Battle of Kealakekua Bay, in which Captain Cook was killed.More than thirty fine photographs and maps embellish and enhance this charming contribution to Hawaiian literature and Americana.
A Gold Orchid
A Gold Orchid is a rare collection of classical Chinese erotic and love poetry translated for the first time.Chinese erotic poetry was at one time thought to be nonexistent, simply because it was considered unfit to translate from the imperial anthologies, This translation of poems of Tzu Yeh, a 4th-century wine shop girl, exposes a world the emperors may not have cared to record for posterity. But it is precisely this world that has fascination for the Western reader, who will discover in it, perhaps a shock of recognition, the same currents of feeling that rippled beneath alluring surfaces wherever girls like Tzu Yeh have offered entertainment and flattery, beauty, wit, and sometimes love-to paying customers.Following Tzu Yeh through the pleasure-chasing seasons into her years of bitter memories, the reader places together, but he left her «with a bitter heart still beating to each day’s sun.» She weaves. She remembers. «In thin silk dress, red sleeves a flutter» she searches for «a bold someone with a heart of mine»–her gold-orchid friend.These beautiful and original poems are made available to Western readers in a translation that fuses the imagery of age-old China with a supple, lively modern idiom.
History of Christianity in Japan
Despite the relatively small number of formal Christian believers in japan—less than one percent of the total population—Christianity has become and is likely to continue to be an important strand in modern Japanese culture.The Christian social message of the early decades of the twentieth century has become a lasting part of social welfare attitudes. The strong emphasis on education of the Christian missionary movement has left a visible legacy throughout Japanese education, primarily in the teaching of women.Author, Otis Cary's impressive work, first published in two volumes, appears here in a convenient one-volume edition. The first part deals with Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox missions; the second, with Protestant missions. The story begins with the arrival of Francis Xavier in Japan in 1549, unfolds through the early successes of the Roman Catholic missions and the subsequent age of hideous persecutions and the virtual extirpation of Christianity in the seventeenth century, and moves forward to its revival in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is in many ways an absorbingly dramatic tale, and Cary tells it exceedingly well.
Japanese Theatre
Japanese Theatre presents a full historical account for Westerners of the theater arts that have flourished for centuries in Japan.Kabuki, arising in the late seventeenth century, is the theater of the commoner. The successive syllables of Kabuki mean «song – dance – skill.» The precursors of Kabuki were the puppet theater and the comic interludes in the stately, aristocratic Noh drama – all fully described by the author. In the modem era the Japanese have broken away from Kabuki, and their stage has shown a realistic trend. Left–wing theater groups arose in the 1920’s, were suppressed by the militarists, and then revived during the occupation.Appended to the historical chapters are Mr. Bowers's translations of three Kabuki plays: The Monstrous Spider, Gappo and His Daughter Tsuji, and the bombastic Sukeroku.This book, with its many excellent photographs, is a permanent addition to the West's knowledge of the exotic, exciting theater of Japan and its tradition of great acting.