Japanese Art - A guide to selected resources in English - Sloane Art Library - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Japanese Art: a guide to selected resources in English

Introduction
Surveys, Handbooks and Encyclopedias
Books on Iconography, Symbolism and Terminology
Biographical Reference Works
Online Indexes, Bibliographies and Library Catalogs
Museum Sites and Selected Collection Catalogs
Current Art Journals
Special Topics
Additional Reference Works and Websites

A GOOD STARTING POINT is the major online encyclopedia of art, the Grove Dictionary of Art Online. It includes image links, useful bibliographies, and covers the art of all time periods and locations. It will be very useful to you in your research! You can also find it in "Article Databases and More" on the Libraries page. There is also a print edition in the Art Library (36 volume set--green books on index table in Reference area) The lengthy, comprehensive entry for Japan is in Vol. 17, pp. 10-440. Vol. 8 of the earlier Encyclopedia of World Art (Art Reference) has maps, bibliographies and plates as well.

Searching the online catalog can include subject terms such as art Japanese or art Japan (a very broad search) or a narrower search by keyword, e.g. Meiji and painting. Try both keyword and subject searches for best results. A good browsing area for overviews of Japanese art is N7350. All books below are in the Art Library unless otherwise noted.

SURVEYS, HANDBOOKS AND ENCYCLOPEDIAS

Addiss, Stephen. How to look at Japanese art. N7350.A375 1996.

Fontein, Jan. China, Korea, Japan. Art Reference. N7337.F697 1968.
In German, but with excellent plates, bibliographies and chronologies.

Heibonsha Survey of Japanese Art. N7350.B45 1980.
31 volumes, cataloged separately, covering art architecture and decorative arts. Check the online catalog under series title for individual titles in series. General index volume is vol. 31

Hutt, Julia. Understanding Far Eastern Art. N7337.H787 1987.
A useful survey organized on the basis of materials and techniques, of the arts of China, Japan and Korea. Includes a select bibliography, chronology and map. Discusses painting, prints and books, ceramics, metalwork, sculpture and carving, lacquer, textile and dress.

Japanese Art and Japonisme.
A 6 volume series of reprints of 19th c. works by American and English artists and writers. Important for the historiography of Japanese art. Titles cataloged separately.

Lee, Sherman. History of Far Eastern Art. Art Reserve and earlier editions in stacks. N7336.L43 1994.
The key survey by a major scholar and donor to the Ackland Art Museum. Essential.

Pageant of Japanese Art. N7350.T553.
A multivolume survey edited by the Tokyo National Museum, covering painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, architecture and gardens.

Paine, Robert and Alexander Soper. Art and Architecture of Japan. Art Reference N7350.P3 1981.
Earlier editions in stacks and UL. A comprehensive major title in the Pelican History of Art series.

Stanley-Baker, Joan. Japanese Art. N7350.S7 2000.
A helpful survey incorporating recent research; revised and expanded edition, with earlier edition in Art and Davis.

Yamasaki, Shigehisa. Chronological Table of Japanese Art. Art Reference N7350.Y298 1981.
Coverage from 6th c. to 20th. Index of works of art, owners and collectors, including museums and agencies, and personal names. In English and Japanese.

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BOOKS ON ICONOGRAPHY, SYMBOLISM AND TERMINOLOGY

Baird, Merrily. Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design. Art Reference N7350.B233 2001.

Edmunds, William. Pointers and Clues to the Subjects of Chinese and Japanese Art. Art Reference N7337.E3 1934.
Includes chronology and glossary, in dictionary format with lengthy entries. Separate section on Buddhist subjects.

Joly, Henri. Legend in Japanese Art. Art Cage N7350 .J75.
Includes "historical episodes, legendary characters, folklore, myths, religious symbolism, and illustrations."

Mackenzie, Donald A. Myths of China and Japan. Davis BL1802.M33 1994.

Munsterberg, Hugo. Dictionary of Chinese and Japanese Art. Art Reference N7340.M867 1981.
Comprehensive, with 2000 terms.

Piggott, Julie. Japanese Mythology. Art Reference, Davis and UL BL2202.P5.

Weber, Victor Frederic. Ko-ji ho-ten: dictionnaire a l'usage des amateurs et collectionneurs d'objets d'art Japonais et Chinois. 2 vols. Art Reference NK1065.W4.
A fascinating work, including signatures, symbols, biographies, costume, legends, etc.

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BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCE WORKS

Fister, Pat. Japanese Women Artists 1600-1900. N7353.5 .F57 1988.
An exhibition catalog that is useful for its biographical information.

Index of Japanese Painters. Art Reference ND1058. T65 1958.
An index to about 600 painters, including pseudonyms and familiar names; also has a timeline/table of schools of Japanese painting from the 10th to 20th C.

Koop. Albert. Japanese Names and How to Read Them: a Manual for Art-Collectors…. Storage 929.4 K82k.

Merritt, Helene. Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975. Art Reference NE1323. M46 1992.
An important work, which includes biographical; notes on artists and seals, print series and exhibitions. See Merritt's other work on prints as well.

Roberts, Laurance. Dictionary of Japanese Artists: Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Prints, Lacquer. Art Reference N7358 .R6.
Major reference work for artists born before 1900 or deceased before 1972.

Self, James and Nobuko Hirose. Japanese Art Signatures: a Handbook and Practical Guide. Art Reference N7358 .S45 2003.
A comprehensive work documenting artists and craftsmen, with a step-by-step guide to reading signatures and characters. Includes bibliography and index.

Tazawa, Yutaka. Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art. Art Reference and Davis N7350. B563.
More than 800 prominent artists included; with charts, index of alternate names, glossary and some illustrations.

Weidner, Marsha, ed. Flowering in the Shadows: Women in the History of Chinese and Japanese Paintings. ND 1040.F58 1990.
An important book, with extensive bibliographic notes, plates, chapters by notable scholars, and a glossary of names and terms.

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ONLINE INDEXES, BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND LIBRARY CATALOGS

Art Full Text and Art Index Retrospective
The major database for art history, indexing, with some full text, periodicals, journals, museums, bulletins and yearbooks. Covers 1929 to date.

ARTstor provides curated collections of art images and associated data for noncommercial and scholarly, non-profit educational use. The ARTstor Charter Collection will initially be comprised of approximately 300,000 digital images and associated catalog data; the tools to make active use of those images; and a restricted environment that seeks to balance the interests and needs of users with those of content providers.

Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) The most scholarly database for the history of art, indexes journals, books, exhibition catalogs, proceedings, and more. Includes abstracts or summaries, but not full text.

Bibliography of Asian Studies
Searchable by keyword (e.g. ainu and art) or browse by country and subtopic, e.g. photography. Principally western-language articles and book chapters on all parts of Asia published since 1971. Keep in mind that UNC may not hold the titles but they can be requested on ILL.

CAMIO
CAMIO - RLG's Catalog of Art Museum Images Online - offers rights-cleared, high-quality art images for class projects, art history and studio art programs, course Web sites, lectures, presentations, and research resources.

Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL)
Links to U.S libraries with East Asian collections.

Library of the Freer and Sackler Galleries (Smithsonian)
One of the major libraries for Asian art in the U.S., with more than 80,000 volumes.
The museum site may also be searched for images, current exhibitions, etc. The print edition of the library catalog is in Art Reference Z5939.F774 and includes and index to Kokka, a major Japanese art journal held at Duke, which has strong collections on Japanese art.

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MUSEUM SITES AND SELECTED COLLECTION CATALOGS

Museums in Japan.
A handy gateway to a number of museums in Japan.

Duke's Japanese Art History gateway is also useful, especially for works in the Japanese language.

Virtual Library Museums A convenient link to Japanese museums, and to other museums with strong collections of Japanese art.

Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
The Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (FAAM) in Fukuoka, Japan collects Asian modern and contemporary art.

Kyoto National Museum
See the "Exhibitions" and "Collections" tabs for images.

Tokyo National Museum
Scroll down to "The TNM Collection" to find images from the museum by type or by region.

The Tokugawa Art Museum

The art of Japan: masterworks in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. N7352 .A935 1991.

Japanese Art: Masterpieces in the British Museum. N7352 .N65 1990.

Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art. Meiji no takara = Treasures of imperial Japan. Art Oversize N7354.5 .M32 1995

One thousand years of Japanese art (650-1650): from the Cleveland Museum of Art: catalogue. N7353 .L43

Screens & scrolls: Japanese art from the collection of the Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Art and North Carolina Collection ND1052 .A24 1997.

Twelve centuries of Japanese art from the Imperial Collections. Art Oversize ND1457.J32 W377 1997.

Numerous additional collection and exhibition catalogs will be found under specific subjects, such as media, artists and museums.

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CURRENT ART JOURNALS

Archives of Asian Art.
Scholarly, with black & white illustrations and museum acquisition lists.

Ars Orientalis.
Most articles in English. Scholarly illustrated journal.

Artibus Asiae.
Essential scholarly journal for Asian art; articles in English, German and French.

Arts of Asia.
A popular journal that includes information on contemporary artists as well as exhibition information and excellent illustrations.

Asian Art; later Asian Art and Culture. (1987-1996)
Published by the Sackler Gallery, issues focus on specific topics. Good bibliographies. Now published as a monographic series.

Kaikodo. A gallery publication.

Oriental Art.
A scholarly journal with illustrations, bibliographies, etc.

Orientations.
Popular journal with excellent illustrations, exhibition and sales information.

Note: an important Japanese periodical, held at Duke's Lilly Library, is Kokka. Holding back to v. 1, 1889. Some numbers are in English, some in Japanese. The Freer Library catalog has an index to Kokka, and Duke has a cd-rom version as well.

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SPECIAL TOPICS: a very short sampler (check online catalog for call numbers)

The confusion era: art and culture of Japan during the Allied Occupation, 1945-1952.

The dawn of the floating world, 1650-1765: early ukiyo-e treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Great Japan exhibition: art of the Edo period 1600-1868.

Japan : a self-portrait : photographs, 1945-1964.

Japanese art after 1945: scream against the sky.

Japanese woodblock prints: a bibliography of writings from 1822-1992, entirely or partly in English text.

Japanese: the Japanese influence on Western art since 1858.

Masterful illusions: Japanese prints in the Anne Van Biema collection.

Modern photography in Japan, 1915-1940.

Plunder and pleasure: Japanese art in the West 1860-1930.

Reconstructions: avant-garde art in Japan 1945-1965: an exhibition.

Terrific Tokyo: a panorama in prints from the 1860s to the 1930s.

Zen Buddhist landscape arts of early Muromachi Japan (1336-1573).

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ADDITIONAL BASIC REFERENCE WORKS AND WEBSITES

Cambridge History of Japan. Davis DS835 .C36 1988.
Six volume work covering Japan from ancient to the 20th c.

Cultural Atlas of Japan. Davis Reference and UL DS821 .C62 1988.

Encyclopedia of Religion. Davis Reference BL31.E46 2005.
This 14-volume work and other basic reference works will be a useful starting point for iconography of religions in Japan.

Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. Davis Reference DS805.K633 1983.
An outstanding 10 volume work with articles by noted scholars. See Vol. 1 entry "Art" for a list of major articles such as "Buddhist Sculpture." See also index. Excellent bibliographies and black & white illustrations.

OTHER WEB SITES OF NOTE

Asia Society.
includes links to exhibitions.

Paragon Book Gallery.
An example of an outstanding book dealer site, with tocs for current journal issues, links to current Exhibitions, and museums worldwide, book reviews, and more

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