Research Catalog

Title

Seduction : Japan's floating world : the John C. Weber Collection / Laura W. Allen ; with essays by Julia Meech, Eric C. Rath, Melinda Takeuchi.

Author

Allen, Laura W.

Publication

• San Francisco : Asian Art Museum, [2015]
• ©2015

Supplementary Content

• Contributor biographical information
• Publisher description

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Meech, Julia
• Rath, Eric C., 1967-
• Takeuchi, Melinda
• Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, host institution.

Description

xvii, 259 pages : illustrations (chiefly color); 31 cm

Summary

The Floating World --a catchphrase that defined the pleasure quarters of Edo-period Japan's (1615 - 1868) and conveyed a fantasy realm where men were led to believe they could drift aimlessly in the pursue of pleasure. Brothels were a prominent feature, but other entertainment, such as theater, music, and wrestling were also offered. Pursuit of such pleasures prompted a revolution in fashion, literature, and the visual arts, as the pleasure district was marketed not just through the offer of sex but rather through the elaboration of the seductive image of a sophisticated demimonde that beckoned visitors. Seduction show how images of courtesans were constructed as objects of desire, and it considers how the artistic version aligned with or departed from the reality of women's lives. It traces the ways that art was used to transport viewers to a constructed realm of sensory delights to stimulate desires and gratify fantasies of carefree pleasure. Editor Laura W. Allen offers an overview of the seductive spell cast by the floating world and provides helpful entries on each of the featured objects. Essays by Melinda Takeuchi, Eric C. Rath, and Julia Meech introduce the floating world, consider the role of food in the pleasure quarter, and explore the feminine gaze in the Japanese print. A translation of the texts on the Hishikawa Moronobu scroll is included. The result is a fascinating study of the way that visual objects were used to convey insider knowledge about the latest fashions in clothing, hairstyles, accessories, and even games. Armed with such knowledge, a visitor to the pleasure quarters would be prepared for the pursuit of love and other objects of desire.

Subjects

• Arts, Japanese > Edo period, 1600-1868 > Exhibitions
• Kimonos > Japan > Exhibitions
• Weber, John, 1938- > Art collections > Exhibitions
• Textile design > Japan > History > Edo period, 1600-1868 > Exhibitions
• Art > Private collections > United States > Exhibitions
• Painting, Japanese > Edo period, 1600-1868 > Exhibitions
• Decorative arts > Japan > History > Edo period, 1600-1868 > Exhibitions
• Ukiyoe > Exhibitions
• Japan > Social life and customs > Exhibitions

Note

• Published on the occasion of an exhibtion of the same name held at the Asian Art Museum--Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, February 20-May 10, 2015.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-252) and index.

Language (note)

• Includes checklist in Japanese.

Call Number

JQG 16-363

ISBN

• 9780939117697
• 093911769X
• 9780939117703
• 0939117703

LCCN

2015510772

OCLC

892458499

Author

Allen, Laura W., author.

Title

Seduction : Japan's floating world : the John C. Weber Collection / Laura W. Allen ; with essays by Julia Meech, Eric C. Rath, Melinda Takeuchi.

Publisher

San Francisco : Asian Art Museum, [2015]

Copyright Date

©2015

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-252) and index.

Language

Includes checklist in Japanese.

Local Note

DIST. BY TUTTLE PUB. EXHIBITION CATALOG. INCLUDES ESSAYS AND GATEFOLDS. COLOR ILLUSTRATED.

Connect to:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description

Added Author

Meech, Julia, contributor.

Rath, Eric C., 1967- contributor.

Takeuchi, Melinda, contributor.

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, host institution.

Research Call Number

JQG 16-363