Art, tea, and industry : Masuda Takashi and the Mitsui circle / Christine M.E. Guth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Guth, Christine.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Masuda, Takashi, 1848-1938.

Art, Japanese.

Masuda, Takashi, 1848-1938--Art collections.

Masuda, Takashi.

Art--Private collections--Japan.

Art.

Art--Private collections.

Art museums.

Japan.

Physical Description:

xvi, 231 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [1993]

Summary:

In this illustrated book Christine Guth examines the intimate relationship between art collecting, the tea ceremony, and business through the activities of Masuda Takashi (1848-1938), the highly charismatic director of the Mitsui conglomerate whose opulent life and passionate pursuit of art continue to influence new generations of aspiring business magnates in Japan. An elaborate social ritual in which the worlds of business and art collecting intersected, the tea ceremony guided Masuda in amassing the finest collection of Sino-Japanese art in the early Japanese industrial era. Guth's exploration of his aesthetic ideas deepens our understanding of not only the formation of the canon of Japanese art but also the role of art in the ideology of early modern Japan. At a time when there were few art museums in Japan and Japanese art was becoming internationally known, Masuda's tea gatherings functioned as a salon where his colleagues, other collectors, and art dealers could view, discuss, and handle works of art. Under his influence, art collecting and mastery of the tea ceremony became integral parts of the business training and activities of Mitsui executives. Masuda's collection was rich in calligraphy, silk painting, lacquer, and ceramics, but it was especially noted for its Buddhist painting and sculpture. These works, which were dispersed after World War II, are now in museums and private collections throughout Japan and the United States.

Contents:

Ch. 1 The Lacquer Writing Box 14

A Cosmopolitan Education 15

Career in Foreign Trade 20

Art Collector Kido Takayoshi 30

The Lacquer Writing Box 35

Ch. 2 Art Collecting and Chanoyu 41

The Artistic Requirements of Chanoyu 41

The Taste for Karamono 46

Wabi Taste 54

Courtly Taste 60

Tori Awase 64

Grand Tea Gatherings 68

Ch. 3 A Taste for Tea 72

Chanoyu in the Early Meiji Era 73

Masuda Kokutoku and Kashiwagi Ken'ichiro 75

Yasuda Zenjiro and Inoue Kaoru 83

Masuda and the Enshu Tradition 95

Ch. 4 From Temple to Tearoom 100

Traditional Attitudes toward Buddhist Art Collecting 100

Emile Guimet and Machida Hisanari 104

Ernest Fenollosa 109

Inoue Kaoru and Dan Takuma 114

The Daishi Kai (I) 117

Ch. 5 The New Daimyo 129

The Battle for Art 131

Art, Tea, and Company 143

The Daishi Kai (II) 151

Ch. 6 National Treasures 161

Art Collecting and Cultural Nationalism 162

The Threat of Foreign Collectors 167

Ernest Fenollosa and Charles Freer 173

Contribution to Cultural Causes 183

Appendix A Acquisition and Distribution of Japanese Art Abroad 197.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [221]-225) and index.

ISBN:

0691032068

OCLC:

25831966