Frog in the Well

Portraits of Japan by Watanabe Kazan, 1793-1841
Erscheinungsjahr 2006
ISBN: 978-0-231-13826-0
Verlag: Columbia University Press

Buch, Englisch, 304 Seiten, Format (B × H): 139 mm x 228 mm, Gewicht: 723 g

Reihe: Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture

Frog in the Well is a vivid and revealing account of Watanabe Kazan, one of the most important intellectuals of the late Tokugawa period. From his impoverished upbringing to his tragic suicide in exile, Kazan's life and work reflected a turbulent period in Japan's history. He was a famous artist, a Confucian scholar, a student of Western culture, a samurai, and a critic of the shogunate who, nevertheless, felt compelled to kill himself for fear that he had caused his lord anxiety.

During this period, a typical Japanese scholar or artist refused to acknowledge the outside world, much like a "frog in the well that knows nothing of the ocean," but Kazan actively sought out Western learning. He appreciated European civilization and bought every scrap of European art that was available in Japan. He became a painter to help his family out of poverty and, by employing the artistic techniques of the West, achieved great success with his realistic and stylistically advanced portraits.

Although he remained a nationalist committed to the old ways, Kazan called on the shogunate to learn from the West or risk disaster. He strove to improve the agricultural and economic conditions of his province and reinforce its defenses, but his criticisms and warnings about possible coastal invasions ultimately led to his arrest and exile.

Frog in the Well is the first full-length biography of Kazan in English, and, in telling his life's story, renowned scholar Donald Keene paints a fascinating portrait of the social and intellectual milieus of the late Tokugawa period. Richly illustrated with Kazan's paintings, Frog in the Well illuminates a life that is emblematic of the cultural crises affecting Japan in the years before revolution.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Keene, Donald

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunst, allgemein Einzelne Künstler: Biographien, Monografien
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein Biographien & Autobiographien: Historisch, Politisch, Militärisch
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Asiatische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstformen, Kunsthandwerk Malerei: Gemälde
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunststile Asiatische Kunst

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Dutch Studies in Japan Before 17932. Japan in 1793: Kazan's Early Years3. Genre Paintings and Early Portraits4. Travels and Career5. The Early 1830s6. Foreign Influence and Major Portraits7. The Meeting of East and West8. Danger from Overseas9. The Road to Prison10. The Trial11. Kazan the Painter12. The Last YearNotesBibliographyIndex

Leseproben

Read an >excerpt and view images from Frog in a Well

Über Autor(innen)

Donald Keene is Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and University Professor Emeritus at Columbia University. He is the author of more than thirty books, including Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World and the definitive multivolume history of Japanese literature.