Japanese Design Motifs: 4,260 Illustrations of Japanese Crests
Original price was: $22.95.$19.50Current price is: $19.50.
Price: $22.95 - $19.50
(as of Oct 18, 2024 15:23:22 UTC – Details)
This collection presents more than 4,000 individual designs in the 900-year-old tradition of Japanese family crests. Through constant variation and invention over the centuries, this has become one of the richest graphic art traditions in the world.
Most of these motifs are circular, and they can all be fitted into a square. Within those limitations is a seemingly endless range of designs, beginning with the dozens and dozens of root motifs — rice plant, gingko, scallop, lightning, anchor, spool, raft, candle, scissors, fern, saki bottle, lotus blossom, mountain arrow, pine, wisteria, ship, rabbit, and scores of others. Practically every kind of plant, bird, animal, natural phenomenon, and manufactured object of Japanese culture was at one time or another included in a family crest. In addition, each of the root designs was treated to dozens of imaginative variations — they were reproduced bilaterally, in triangles, diamonds, five- and six-pointed stars, in spirals, were built up in series, made to overlap, combined with each other, and so on. Some of these are classic and recognizable designs, like the yin-yang, linked rings, and treasure knot. Many of the others have rarely been seen in the West.
Graphic artists, textile designers, pattern-makers, advertisers, and other commercial artists looking for an untapped source of novel, appealing designs will find a wealth of material here. Some of these motifs can be used to suggest an exotic flavor, and others are universal and can be used almost anywhere.
ASIN : 0486228746
Publisher : Dover Publications; First Edition (June 1, 1972)
Language : English
Paperback : 216 pages
ISBN-10 : 9780486228747
ISBN-13 : 978-0486228747
Item Weight : 1.5 pounds
Dimensions : 8.25 x 1 x 11.5 inches
Customers say
Customers find the designs in the book beautiful, great, and easy to look at. They also say it’s a good reference and inspiration for an artist.
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13 reviews for Japanese Design Motifs: 4,260 Illustrations of Japanese Crests
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Original price was: $22.95.$19.50Current price is: $19.50.
Miyam Brumfield –
Awesome Inspiratio Book
this book is really good for those looking for some Japanese inspiration either in textiles (like myself) or in fashion or for any artist type looking for Japanese inspiration. it has a lot of different Japanese crests of different designs, shapes and sizes which can easily be applied to art work. the book is pretty organized and it even tells you what some of the crests are not all of them. the only problem I had with the book was the size of each crest shown, they show them in about and inch by inch box but there’s twenty to a page. also about the reading format for this book, the book itself is printed in an american reading format ( from left to right) but each page is printed in a Japanese reading format (from right to left) the book explains all that in the beginning as well which I found to be helpful when looking up each crests. Overall it’s a good inspiration book for an artist not so much if your looking for detailed research on Japanese crests.
C. Craig –
Wonderful design ideas
More good design per $ than literally anything else I own, perhaps! For some reason, used copies of this terrific design / inspiration book sell for pennies, and there are thousands and thousands of the kamon (Japanese crests) illustrated, grouped in motifs (e.g., lanterns, lilies, fish, etc.). I probably flip through mine for ideas every week.
Robert Eliason –
This book delivered exactly what I needed and more than what I expected.
This book delivered exactly what I needed and more than what I expected. The book is not long winded in text it simply provided me with a large and detailed compendium of the family crests of Japan. The title therefore is a tad misleading but I did the research and got exactly what I was looking for. The look inside featured allowed me to make the correct choice.
C. Heinzmannn –
Names not in English.
Overall this book does what it says, shows Japanese design motifs of Japanese family crests or Kamon.Downside of this is that they are all in Kanji and not in English for us Gaijin.
Drake Magnum –
Excellent
My family had this book when I was a wee lad and it influenced my interest in design greatly. I was so pleased to find it available to buy from Amazon and for SO CHEAP. It’s every bit as wonderful as I remember. It’s filled to the brim with every variation on Japanese crest motifs you could ever want. It’s perfectly exhaustive.
CB Companies –
Great reference & inspiration
This is used as a reference book in my jewelry studio library. Love the inspiration and clear pictures/drawings. These classic crests and motifs are timeless design elements in my work.
Ivanna –
Good designs, beware of my seller.
The book is great, but the seller was VERY mis-leading in description of “very good”. Book arrived very worn and pretty jacked up – poor to fair at best. But like I said, designs are great – I only wish they had names/translations included for each family crest.
acala –
Amazing
This book contains a lifetime supply of ingenious traditional Japanese designs.
Anne Claire SULPICE –
Niente di speciale in questo libro, non ci sono specifiche spiegazioni per ogni famiglia di ogni scudo qui rapresentato, ma bella fonte di informazioni comunque.Riccorda un po’ il libro dele filigrane occidentali.Interessante per chi studia, fa ricerche, o ama semplicemente la stilistica giapponese.
Eve –
This book is a great resource, it has so many crests in there. Incredibly thorough.
Cliente de Amazon –
Falta un poco de mas informacion sobre los kamones en cuanto a descripcion. Pero la cantidad de imagenes disponible es abrumadora
R. Darmon –
La plus grosse compilation que j’ai trouvé avec des images de plus de 3cm de large… Néanmoins, il n’y a que très peu de texte (en anglais, pas de français) et aucune véritable explication sur chaque motif, sa signification, son importance, la famille qui l’utilise, et ainsi de suite… Donc, avis aux historiens, ce n’est qu’un livre d’ornements !
L. Holloway –
A book I’ve been looking for for years.