Traditional Japanese packaging is an art form that applies
sophisticated design and natural aesthetics to simple objects. In
this elegant presentation of the baskets, boxes, wrappers, and
containers that were used in ordinary, day-to-day life, we are
offered a stunning example of a time before mass production.
Largely constructed of bamboo, rice straw, hemp twine, paper, and
leaves, all of the objects shown here are made from natural
materials. Through 221 black-and-white photographs of authentic
examples of traditional Japanese packaging--with commentary on the
origins, materials, and use of each piece--the items here offer a
look into a lost art, while also reminding us of the connection to
nature and the human imprint of handwork that was once so alive and
vibrant in our everyday lives. This classic book was originally
published under the title "How to Wrap Five More Eggs" in 1975.
The eminent American designer George Nelson praised the work
featured here, saying, "We have come a long, long way from the kind
of thing so beautifully presented in this book. To suit the needs
of super mass production, the traditional natural materials are too
obstreperous . . . and one by one we have replaced them with the
docile, predicable synthetics. . . . What we have gained from these
new] materials and wonderfully complicated processes to make up for
the general pollution, rush, crowding, noise, sickness, and
slickness is a subject for other forums. But what we have lost for
sure is what this book is all about: a once-common sense of fitness
in the relationships between hand, material, use, and shape, and
above all, a sense of delight in the look and feel of very
ordinary, humble things. This book is thus . . . a totally
unexpected monument to a culture, a way of life, a universal
sensibility carried through all objects down to the smallest, most
inconsequential, and ephemeral things."
Now, over thirty years later, this revived classic on the art of
traditional Japanese packing may leave us with the same response,
and the same appreciation for the natural and utile packaging
presented in this book.
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