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 Korin school; Kazari : modes of decoration and display ; Japanese design : a visual primer featuring contemporary arts

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

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 : Siegfried 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 Burth, Théodore Duret, Louis Gonse, Sadakichi Hartmann, Laurence Binyon, Landgon Warner, Harada Jirō, Tsuda Noritake

The legacy of the early writers.