Edward Seidensticker Bücher

Resurrecting and restoring the sacred, mythological, and cultural origins of medicine and psychotherapy, Edward Tick, Ph.D., explores the soul-healing practices missing in our contemporary health systems

Death, homosexuality and the spiritual emptiness of post-war Japan: these are the often shocking subjects which Mishima explores. The old world meets the new in this collection of fiction and drama by one of Japan's most celebrated writers. A husband prepares to commit hara-kiri in the name of patriotism; an ascetic struggles with temptation; and a businessman meets a past love in the streets of San Francisco. Violence colours the work of Mishima, as it did his life. But there is also delicate observation, pathos, humour and irony in these beautifully crafted tales. Contents: - Death in Midsummer - Three Million Yen - Thermos Flasks - The Priest of Shiga Temple and His Love - The Seven Bridges - Patriotism - Dōjōji - Onnagata - The Pearl - Swaddling Clothes

«Wie ein phosphoreszierender Stein, der im Dunkel glänzt, aber bei Tageshelle jeglichen Reiz als Juwel verliert, so gibt es ohne Schattenwirkung keine Schönheit.» Tanizaki Jun’ichiro entwirft in seinem Essay eine faszinierende japanische Ästhetik, die den Umgang mit Licht und Schatten beleuchtet. Kunstvoll und mit Leichtigkeit erforscht er die Wurzeln fernöstlicher Schönheit. Ob Gärten, Häuser oder Alltagsgegenstände – der Schlüssel zum Verständnis japanischer Ästhetik liegt im Spiel von Licht und Schatten. Gerade das Halbdunkel hebt den Glanz bestimmter Materialien hervor. Die Eleganz lackierter Flächen und das Glitzern alter Gewebe entfalten sich nur im Schattenspiel. Die Farbe und Struktur japanischen Papiers werden erst durch den Dämmerschein zur Geltung gebracht. Tanizaki erklärt, dass Schönheit oft aus der Praxis des täglichen Lebens entsteht. Unsere Vorfahren, die in dunklen Räumen leben mussten, entdeckten die Schönheit des Schattens und nutzten ihn ästhetisch. Mit einem besorgten Blick richtet er sich nach Westen und fragt, welche Auswirkungen der Siegeszug des elektrischen Lichts auf die jahrtausendealten Schönheitsvorstellungen Japans hat. An der Wende zur Moderne verfasst, gilt sein Essay als «ästhetisches Testament Japans» (Neue Zürcher Zeitung). Die bibliophile Ausstattung umfasst einen Schutzumschlag aus Naturpapier, gebunden in schwarzes, geprägtes Strukturpapier, mit einer Original-Kalligraphie.

A self-portrait devastating in its honesty...written passionately and without a thought to how readers might judge her actions.--Donald Keene Gossamer Years is a remarkably frank diary written by an unnamed noblewoman in Tenth-century Japan--the same period as Murasaki Shikibu's celebrated Tale of Genji. In her diary, the author describes her tempestuous and unhappy marriage and growing indignation at the many rival wives and mistresses taken by her husband, as was commonplace at the time. Too impetuous to play the role of a subsidiary wife, the author protests the marriage system in one of Japanese literature's earliest portrayals of the difficulties faced by women in a male-dominated society. Skillfully translated by Edward Seidensticker, a preeminent scholar of Japanese literature, this book represents an extraordinary flowering of realistic expression in ancient Japan and an attempt, unique for its age, to treat the human condition with frankness and honesty. A new introduction by Japanese literary scholar Dennis Washburn provides valuable insights into the author's world and examines the book's lasting importance. With dozens of beautiful images illustrating court life in the Heian period, Gossamer Years is a timeless and intimate glimpse into married life and social mores in traditional Japan.

"This is a freaking great book and I highly recommend it...if you are passionate about the history of 'the world's greatest city,' this book is something you must have in your collection." --JapanThis.com Edward Seidensticker's A History of Tokyo 1867-1989 tells the fascinating story of Tokyo's transformation from the Shogun's capital in an isolated Japan to the largest and the most modern city in the world. With the same scholarship and sparkling style that won him admiration as the foremost translator of great works of Japanese literature, Seidensticker offers the reader his brilliant vision of an entire society suddenly wrenched from an ancient feudal past into the modern world in a few short decades, and the enormous stresses and strains that this brought with it. Originally published as two volumes, Seidensticker's masterful work is now available in a handy, single paperback volume. Whether you're a history buff or Tokyo-bound traveler looking to learn more, this insightful book offers a fascinating look at how the Tokyo that we know came to be. This edition contains an introduction by Donald Richie, the acknowledged expert on Japanese culture who was a close personal friend of the author, and a preface by geographer Paul Waley that puts the book into perspective for modern readers.