WA: The Essence of Japanese Design

This beautiful book is designed in the Japanese manner with stiching on the spine and double pages inside. The photographs of well balanced, well designed objects cover a period from ancient Japan to the present. The photos of ceramic pieces were especially beautiful. The lighting makes the ceramic surfaces feel tactile. Although the clay objects are my favorite, this book shows categories of Japanese design arranged by material touching on metal, paper, clay. wood and more. I've put "Wa" on my coffee table for the time being. I will protect it on a shelf after I finish picking it up daily to marvel.

Beautiful book design and binding.

I saw this book at the Tsutaya bookstore in Tokyo. It's a beautifully illustrated book with cool looking binding and paper choice. Nice pictures with good discussion on Japanese design. Got it for my wife and she loves it. A real conversation piece based on the appearance, binding, and paper quality alone.

A beautifully bound book (honestly--it's beautiful) with great content on Japanese Design. My only complaint is that the beauty of the book seemingly competes with its contents about Japanese culture and design!

This book taught me more about Japanese design than I have learned in years of study.

The book is written by 2 'outsiders' who apparently understand enough and a have a lot of respect for the subject.It is handsomely 'packaged', accessible and a delight to read.

Beautiful book and lovely zen presentation. Very Japanese. Spare and artistic.

Very beautiful and inspiring book. Showing traditonal and contemporary japanese handy craft and design in pictures, and how close the new forms are connected to the traditional forms out of different themes.