Book Goodness.

[sechan19]

One of the best things about living in Japan for a year is the opportunity to expand my art book library. (I can see my dad cringing as he reads this; my dad always gets stuck having to help me move my damn books around the country.) But there really are all kinds of wonderful books here that are just not accessible in the States, and since I one day hope to be an educator in the Japanese art history field these books are going to be invaluable to me in the future.

At least, that's what I keep telling myself when I start to wonder about how on earth I'm going to get all these volumes home.

Today, between a trip out to the Tokyo National Museum and an hour spent browsing the spring Used Book Festival in Yokohama Station, I acquired six more books. I've been purchasing with a greater sense of strategy of late, however. I bought a book about Japanese symbols, and two books on the Edo period - one book on art terminology associated specifically with ukiyo-e and one book a catalog for a exhibit of the fusuma paintings of Kano Eitoku in the Daitokuji. I'm not an Edo specialist, but I recognize that I'll eventually have to teach the Edo period. (Although I'd really love at some point to put together a course that specifically focused on the Warring States period and the relationship of art and war in a "pre-modern" context. Blah blah blah.) Anyway, it's worth having major Edo-related touchstones at my fingertips.

I also bought two catalogs from Tokyo National Museum exhibitions - one that focused on depictions of children in Japanese art and one that was all about Sugawara no Michizane and Tenjin! The catalog on children in Japanese art will hopefully come in handy in helping me to think through some questions that I've developed in connection with my most recent project, and I've been trying to get my hands on a Tenjin-based catalog for a long time now. (There are similarly-themed catalogs from the Kyoto and Kyushu National Museums as well, and one day they will be mine). So all in all, not a bad haul.

But I think I need to go back to the book sale again. They had catalogs on Tendai art there as well, but I was out of money. Cash-only sales are a bitch. ;>

Yes, I'm terrible.

But I could be blowing all my money or drugs or whatever. So I suppose I can be kinda-sorta forgiven? Maybe? Please?

Comments

[bjpachter.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Let's look at it this way: you got all the books back to your apartment, right? It's not like you had them delivered to your apartment - THEN, I'd start to worry.

And they do have this magical thing where you put books in a box, take the box to a shop, and then it'll miraculously appear at a location of your choosing, as long as your willing to hand over some colorful pieces of paper. But hey, if you're spending the money for all the books, then you're probably willing to spend the money to get them home, right?

Or didn't you think that far ahead. ;)

[reteva.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's more like I wouldn't trust the international mail with my books any farther than I could throw them. (Which is not far.) ;> I'll probably wind up hefting them home in my luggage. I think that I can manage that if I split things conscientiously between carry-on and check.

[reteva.livejournal.com]

As an aside, you wouldn't believe how many monster books I've bought. Heh.

[bjpachter.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Well, I can appreciate those sentiments on international mail. I suppose you could also get some boxes and have them as part of your luggage - you'd probably end up paying pretty close to the same about anyway.

And somehow, I can imagine the wonders you have dug up. At least it's interesting, both conceptually and graphically.

[foxxydancr.livejournal.com]

i would.

[reteva.livejournal.com]

Ha! You know me too well.
Monsters are so cute! ;>

[lordameth.livejournal.com]

Remind me... if Edo's not your specialty, what is? Just curious; I'd forgot ^_^;

[reteva.livejournal.com]

My specialty is the medieval period, actually. Specifically handscrolls of the Kamakura period, and preferably featuring a supernatural/horrific content. I'm particularly interested in the confluence of grotesque imagery and war. My Center project work has been focused on gender, though. So that's interesting. =)

[lordameth.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. So, Hell Scrolls? Shigisan Engi, Heiji monogatari emaki, that sort of thing? Neato.