After the devastation of World War II, Japanese designers forged a new aesthetic that joined themes of destruction and rebirth with an appreciation for life and an awareness of the world around them. Twelve designers in particular stand out in this regard; this book is a tribute to them. Featuring insightful profiles and stunning visual portfolios, 12 Japanese Masters shows how these creators brought Japanese style into the vanguard of modern design via the fields of fashion, interiors, industrial, product, and graphic design. Among those featured are poster designer Koichi Sato, who merged Western art with traditional Japanese motifs; Issey Miyake, a master in the use of fashion materials and shapes; and Shigeo Fukuda, whose whimsical creations include a two-headed screw and a coffee cup with the handle inside.
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“In the first 25 years after the war, Japan carried out the democratic, economic, and cultural reforms that normally have taken other countries an entire century.” — Yusaku Kamekura
This opening quote from the book, 12 Japanese Masters by Maggie Kinser Saiki, speaks volumes on those artists featured within. Working in the commercial arts as graphic, industrial, and fashion designers, these 12 individuals had to move mountains to change the way the world and their own people defined post World-War II Japan.
Japan needed total reform after the end of the war, which must have must have made it an unbelievably difficult time to be a designer. They needed to change their visual culture and language to inform their new capitalist leanings, while at the same time absorbing western concepts and aesthetics in advertising. They did this while still trying to maintain their own identities. Not an easy order.
What makes 12 Japanese Masters an excellent resource are the anecdotes taken from conversations that Maggie had with many of the artists or their assistants over the last 15 years, as well as, her inclusion of a brief history of Japanese design covering the past five decades. It also doesn’t hurt to have a good balance of full-color plates for reference and the occasional historical picture.
Setting out to write this review, I found one of my favorite illustrators and designers in one — Kazumasa Nagai. His work is beautiful without exception. Also of note was the excellent presentation given by designer and sculptor Igarashi Takenobu, along with author Maggie Kinser Saiki, at the book’s opening — held at the Japanese Society in NYC. Takenobu’s work is vital and shows no signs of slowing down. He has moved from his earlier work done for corporations, to work that tried to resuscitate the craft tradition of Japan, and finally to “land art” that goes against a disposable culture mentality.
This book is one of the best that I’ve picked up this year. Buy it, rockstar.