Lost Japan
Encyclopedia
Lost Japan is a 1994 book written by Alex Kerr
on aspects of Japanese culture which were interesting to him as an American living in that country.
Alex Kerr
Alex Kerr is an American writer and Japanologist.-Life and career:Originally from the Bethesda area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Kerr’s father, a naval officer, was posted in Yokohama from 1964 to 1966. Kerr returned to the states and studied Japanese Studies at Yale University...
on aspects of Japanese culture which were interesting to him as an American living in that country.
Chapters
- Looking for a Castle
- Iya ValleyIya ValleyThe Iya Valley region in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan is a scenic area known for its dramatic mountain valleys and old vine bridges. Although access has improved in recent years, the Iya Valley and the inner parts of Shikoku have historically been remote and difficult to enter, making them a...
- the author purchases and repairs ChiioriChiioriis the name of an Edo period minka farmhouse in the Iya Valley, western Tokushima, Japan. Purchased by Alex Kerr in the 1970s, the house is now home to staff members of Chiiori Trust, a non-profit organization based in Iya Valley that is working toward solutions to the problems surrounding... - KabukiKabukiis classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
- the author describes 1977 Minami-zaMinami-zais the primary kabuki theatre in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 1610 as Shijō Minami-za. The current building with 1,086 seats was built in 1929.- External links :*...
theatre shows and meeting then 65-year old Nakamura Jakuemon IVNakamura Jakuemon IV-Biography:In 1991 the Japanese government designated him as a Living National Treasure.-Further reading:*Beautiful boys/outlaw bodies: devising Kabuki female-likeness, 2005, By Katherine Mezur...
, an onnagata dancer - Art Collecting - the author describes collecting centuries-old calligraphy cheaply
- China versus Japan
- CalligraphyJapanese calligraphyis a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. For a long time, the most esteemed calligrapher in Japan had been Wang Xizhi, a Chinese calligrapher in the 4th century but after the invention of Hiragana and Katakana, the Japanese unique syllabaries, the distinctive...
- Tenmangu (after the Ōsaka Tenmangū Shrine)
- Trammell CrowTrammell CrowF. Trammell Crow was an American real estate developer. Crow is credited for creating several famous real estate projects, including Dallas Market Center, Peachtree Center , and San Francisco's Embarcadero Center.-Biography:Crow was born in Dallas, Texas...
- the author describes his job as an art collector for this person - KyotoKyotois a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
- The Road to NaraNara, Narais the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
- Outer Nara
- OsakaOsakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
- The Literati - the author compares Oxford All Souls'All Souls College, OxfordThe Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
Warden John SparrowJohn Hanbury Angus SparrowJohn Sparrow was an English academic, barrister, book-collector and Warden of All Souls College, Oxford from 1952-77.-Early life and education:...
as Western literati with the educated leisure class of Japan - Last Glimpse