No comments about The Historic Long, Deep Korean Roots In Japan.

No comments about Daniel and Lorena Gardner, History and Genealogy, 1773-1997.

No comments about The Hatoyama Dynasty: Japanese Political Leadership Through the Generations.

No comments about A Student's Guide to Polish American Genealogy (Oryx American Family Tree Series).

No comments about Japan's Name Culture: The Significance of Names in a Religious, Political & Social Context.

1 comments about Family Crests of Japan.

1. Japan has a rich tradition of graphically distinctive family crests emblematically symbolism high court nobility's family names during and after the 12th century. Hallmarked by contrasting motifs and simple geometries, the designs range from cherry blossoms, to well buckets, to floating clouds, to fans, and hundreds of other iconic images. "Family Crests Of Japan" features descriptions of more than 850 individual family crests along with their cultural backgrounds. Enhanced with informed and informative essays on the historical development of family crests and a selection of photographs demonstrating how crests were used on banners, signs, and buildings, "Family Crests Of Japan" is a unique, superbly presented, and enthusiastically recommended addition to academic library Japanese Culture & History reference collections, and the supplemental reading lists of professional designers and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Japanese culture, art, and history.

No comments about Encyclopedia of Japanese Descendants in the Americas: An Illustrated History of the Nikkei.

1 comments about Isami's House: Three Centuries of a Japanese Family.

1. Isami's House is a fascinating book that provides a view of general Japanese history through the history of one family. As the back cover tease promises, this is an entirely new approach to history, one that presents the drama of modern Japanese history through the gripping ordeal of a single family. In this sense, Isami's House is a fascinating, gripping and original approach to Japanese history.
   
   Nevertheless, I found myself put off greatly by Bernstein's uneven writing style and odd organization. Bernstein's paragraphs are haphazardly organized, and her sentences are riddled with clause after clause. Often, it is difficult to tell exactly where the story is going, and sentences are so dominated by detail that the point behind each story is nearly impossible to decipher.
   
   Take, for example, this selection from page 60: "A ten-day spree of rioting by three thousand farmers in the Asakawa area in January 1798 - nine years after the French Revolution - brought a crowd to the Matsuura family's door on the morning of January 26. The fifth-generation patriarch, also called Yuemon (though his name was not written with the same characters as his deceased father's), had left with his wife and mother several days before; only family servants and a "young couple" remained at home. Rampaging peasants spilled out large amounts of the sake manufactured on the grounds of the family's compound and damaged other property as well." Did the ten-day spree of rioting begin on the 26th, or end then? Why does it matter that this happened 9 years after the French Revolution? Each sentence has a different subject, and little is done to link each separate idea together. Overall, this flaw in Bernstein's style leads to very bad, almost unreadable, prose.
   
   Bernstein's organization is also rather odd. The first half of the book seems to be organized topic by topic, and parallels are directly made between the family's exploits around the Meiji years and earlier family experiences. The second half, however, deals exclusively with the family's experiences during and after World War II. This leads to discontinuity: the first half seems to contain no narrative, and the second half seems to completely abandon the lessons learned in the first. I would have been much happier had Bernstein stuck with one style throughout.
   
   Nevertheless, it is a noble concept, and still a good book to read.

No comments about A Genealogy of Japanese Self-Images.

5 comments about Elements Of Japanese Design: Handbook Of Family Crests, Heraldry & Symbolism.

1. A great book for someone who wants information on Kamon. In the first few pages there is a history of Mon. The Mon are separated by type and a short description is given of each. This is an excellent reference book.



2. John Dower's study of Japanese crests and heraldry benefits from the same lucid writing and impeccable research that this MIT historian has brought to all of his work, including his recent National Book Award study of postwar Japan. The illustrations are excellent and the introduction, in particular, should be required reading for all those interested in Japanese history, heraldry, and samurai practices. It is just as valuable for those with a more generic interest in how heraldry has been used over time and across cultures.



3. I didn't realize the true value of this book until a year after I had initially read it.

   It's a great book about Japanese crests. The pictures are clear and very sharp. There are a lot of kamon in the book, but not as many as others, so I put the book down...my mistake!

   The book is filled with descriptions of the meanings and significance of each kamon! Mr. Dower writes of where the crest orginated when it is used, what season it is associated with, what meaning it has if associated with other motifs, etc. With the text and pictures one can actually recognize and understand the symbolism in Japanese art, kimono, etc. I can now tell what season it is in Japan by just looking at the kimono people wear or the tapestry hung on the wall (if the people who wear the kimono, hung the tapestry, etc. understand the symbolism...which many now don't :(...)!

   There is also a short history of the kamon in the beginning :) The story of how the author came upon the illustrations for the crests is very interesting, too!

   But...this book will not tell you the surnames that go with the crest. Granted, it will tell you of some of the really famous names that go with some of famous kamon, but not all of them.

   I think this book is a must for anyone who is really interested in Japanese culture. (The other books on kamon I have are just for people interested in kamon.) I have loved it so much that the binding is coming apart...




4. Thank You, for such a great book it has helped my research and photography tremendously. The information given is quite helpful. Thank You Again, E.Ortiz



5. Incredibly indepth coverage of Japanese family crests; a wealth of information on the subject. Detailed designs give rise to much inspiration to artists and crafters who enjoy Japanese history and culture.