Letters from Japan's Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
eBook - PDF

Letters from Japan's Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Correspondence from Warlords, Tea Masters, Zen Priests, and Aristocrats

  1. 229 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Letters from Japan's Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Correspondence from Warlords, Tea Masters, Zen Priests, and Aristocrats

About this book

Cultural historians Morgan Pitelka and Reiko Tanimura partner with one of Japan's premier experts in calligraphy and letter writing, Takashi Masuda, to translate and annotate twenty-three unique letters alongside images of the hand-brushed originals. Each letter is presented first in its original format as a brushed piece of calligraphy. The authors provide a transcription of the letter into Japanese, followed by an English translation. Next is a commentary with the biography of the letter's author and in some cases the addressee, the context for its writing, and brief descriptions of relevant locations, individuals, and historical events mentioned therein. This book offers readers rare access in English to the voices of renowned historical figures from Japan's Age of Unification and early Edo period.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Notes to This Edition
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. A Melodramatic Age
  8. Letters as a Window on Culture
  9. Musings on Letters
  10. A Brief History of Letters in Japan
  11. 1. Takeda Shingen (1521–1573), Warlord
  12. 2. Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591), Tea Master
  13. 3. Hosokawa Yūsai (1534–1610), Warlord and Tea Master
  14. 4. Inagaki Toshitsugu (late 16th c.), Vassal of Toyotomi Hidenaga
  15. 5. Furuta Oribe (1543 or 1544–1615), Warlord and Tea Master
  16. 6. Hōshun’in (1547–1617), Samurai Woman, Wife of a Warlord
  17. 7. Tōdō Takatora (1556–1630), Warlord and Construction Commissioner
  18. 8. Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558–1637), Sword Appraiser and Calligrapher
  19. 9. Konoe Nobutada (1565–1614), Courtier and Calligrapher
  20. 10. Date Masamune (1567–1636), Warlord and Falconer
  21. 11. Doi Toshikatsu (1573–1644), Warlord
  22. 12. Kōgetsu Sōgan (1574–1643), Zen Priest
  23. 13. Takuan Sōhō (1573–1645), Zen Priest
  24. 14. Karasumaru Mitsuhiro (1579–1638), Courtier and Artist
  25. 15. Kobori Enshū (1579–1647), Warlord, Tea Master, and Garden Designer
  26. 16. Nagaoka Kyūmu (1580–1646), Tea Practitioner, Hosokawa Family Member
  27. 17. Kanamori Sōwa (1584–1657), Warlord and Tea Master
  28. 18. Shōkadō Shōjō (1584–1639), Zen Priest and Calligrapher
  29. 19. Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1586–1641), Warlord
  30. 20. Maeda Toshitsune (1594–1658), Warlord, Collector, and Tea Practitioner
  31. 21. Okabe Nobukatsu (1597–1668), Warlord
  32. 22. Konoe Nobuhiro (1599–1649), Courtier
  33. 23. Tōfukumon’in (1607–1678), Empress and Patron of the Arts
  34. Notes on Transcription
  35. Japanese Character List
  36. Works Cited
  37. Figures
  38. Back Cover

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Yes, you can access Letters from Japan's Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries by Dr. Morgan Pitelka,Reiko Tanimura,Takashi Masuda in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Asian Literary Collections. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.