The enduring allure of Japanese design --
Chapter 1. The aesthetics of Japanese design : Katsura: refined rusticity in architectural design --
Shibui: subtle elegance --
Wabi and Sabi: rustic and withered elegance --
Iki: stylish, sophisticated elegance --
Miyabi and Fūryū: opulent and stylish elegance --
Karei: sumptuous elegance --
Kabuku and Basara: outlandish elegance --
Ma: an interval in time and space --
Nōtan: the dark-light principle --
Mingei: Japanese folk crafts --
Rinpa: decorative art of the Kōrin school--
Kazari: modes of decoration and display --
Japanese design: a visual primer featuring contemporary arts --
Chapter 2. The cultural parameters of Japanese design : Religious values and Japanese design : The aesthetic dimensions of Shinto ; Buddhist influences on Japanese aesthetics --
Design in Japanese culture: ten key characteristics : Relationship between fine arts and crafts ; Emphasis on craftsmanship and technological innovation ; Beauty in miniaturization and detailed workmanship ; Importance of artistic lineages and teamwork ; Linkages between literary and visual arts ; Appreciation of changing seasons ; Rituals order daily life ; Penchant for emotional extremes ; Distinctions in local and regional culture ; Fashion consciousness inspires innovation --
Chapter 3. Early promoters of "artistic Japan," 1830s-1950s : Artists and art professors: John La Farge, Henry Pike Bowie, Denman Waldo Ross, Arthur Wesley Dow --
Art dealers: Siegfred Bing, Marcus Huish --
Scientists and physicians: Phillip Franz von Siebold, Edward Sylvester Morse, Percival Lowell --
Industrial designers and architects: Christopher Dresser, Josiah Conder, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bruno Taut --
Journalists: Frank (Captain Francis) Brinkley, Lafcadio Hearn --
Philosophers: Ernest Fenollosa, Okakura Kakuzō, D.T. (Daisetsu Teitaro) Suzuki, Yanagi Sōetsu --
Art historians and art critics: James Jackson Jarves, Philippe Burty, Théodore Duret, Louis Gonse, Sadakichi Hartmann, Laurence Binyon, Langdon Warner, Harada Jirō, Tsuda Noritake --
The legacy of the early writers --
