Western collecting of Japanese art began with woodblock prints in the 1860s, and prints still dominate the English-language shelf. The books divide into general histories of ukiyo-e, monographs on single artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige, and the newer literature on the twentieth-century shin hanga and sosaku hanga movements.
Beyond prints, look for surveys that place painting, ceramics and decorative arts in their religious and court settings, and for the exhibition catalogues that publish private collections.
Where to start
Japanese Prints: From the Early Masters to the Modern — James A. Michener, 1959. Michener's enthusiastic, well-illustrated introduction.
Images from the Floating World: The Japanese Print — Richard Lane, 1978. The standard history of ukiyo-e, with an artist dictionary.
The Japanese Print: Its Evolution and Essence — Muneshige Narazaki, 1966. A Japanese scholar's survey, translated by C. H. Mitchell.
Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: The Early Years — Helen Merritt, 1990. Shin hanga and sosaku hanga from 1900 to the 1940s.
Japanese Art — Joan Stanley-Baker, 1984. A concise Thames & Hudson survey from prehistory onward.
Books on Japanese Art & Woodblock Prints in stock (17)
Lot of 4 Arts of Asia magazines, 1992-1993 — $28.50 A lot of four issues of Arts of Asia, the Hong Kong bimonthly magazine on Asian art and antiques, covering May-June 1992 through September-October 1993.
Seasons of sacred celebration by Amy Vladeck Heinrich — $10.52 Seasons of Sacred Celebration: Flowers and Poetry from an Imperial Convent is a 1998 catalogue published by the Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies at Columbia University (Weatherhill edition), with Amy V. Heinrich…
A History of Far Eastern Art by Sherman E. Lee — $23.75 A survey of Asian art by Sherman E. Lee, A History of Far Eastern Art, published by Harry N. Abrams in 1964.
Ceramic Art of Japan: A Handbook for Collectors by Munsterberg, Hugo — $10.45 Ceramic Art of Japan: A Handbook for Collectors by Hugo Munsterberg (Tuttle, 1964, first edition) is an illustrated introduction to Japanese pottery and porcelain, written for collectors.
The Story of the Kimono by Jill Liddell — $9.12 The Story of the Kimono by Jill Liddell, published by Dutton/Penguin in 1989.
JAPANESE INK PAINTING by Hiroshi Kanazawa — $19.10 Japanese Ink Painting: Early Zen Masterpieces by Hiroshi Kanazawa, translated and adapted by Barbara Ford and published by Kodansha in 1979.
Lot of 6 Arts of Asia magazines, 1996, 2006 — $57.00 A lot of six issues of Arts of Asia, the Hong Kong magazine on Asian art and antiques: five issues from Volume 26 (1996), numbers 1 and 4 through 6 among them, including a special Japanese issue, and Volume 36, Number 1…
Lot of 4 Arts of Asia magazines, 1994-1995 — $36.05 A lot of four issues of Arts of Asia, the Hong Kong magazine on Asian art and antiques, dated May-June 1994, November-December 1994, September-October 1995 and November-December 1995.
Lot of 4 Arts of Asia Magazines, January-October, 1990 — $33.25 A lot of four 1990 issues of Arts of Asia, the Hong Kong bi-monthly magazine on Asian art and antiques: January-February, March-April (a Japanese arts issue), May-June and September-October.
ABC of Japanese Art by Noritake Tsuda — $7.58 ABC of Japanese Art is an introductory handbook by Noritake Tsuda, published in English in 1937 by the Board of Tourist Industry, Japanese Government Railways.
Floral Art of Japan by Issotei Nishikawa — $11.61 Floral Art of Japan is an illustrated introduction to ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, by Issotei Nishikawa, published in 1949 by the Japan Travel Bureau as number 1 in its Tourist Library series.
Objets D'Art Chine et du Japon by Collection Alfred Forgeron — $28.49 A French auction catalogue of Chinese and Japanese art objects from the collection of Alfred Forgeron, sold at the Hôtel Drouot, Paris, on 28 February and 1-2 March 1910.