Book Description
The foundation for drawing manga begins with the artist copying the works of an admired manga artist. The artist learns the traits of the characters' faces and figures while replicating the eyes, the mouth, and other features and recreating the overall images projected. The first chapter of this volume painstakingly explains the artistic development process beginning with copying professional artists' work to the point where the beginning artist is able to produce his or her own original manga. The second chapter covers the basics of a character's face and body, as well as portraying backgrounds. Chapter Three demonstrates how characters from professional manga artists' work are portrayed.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect For Begginer Manga Artist.......2007-03-07
This was my very firt book my daddy bought me and let me tell you, he made a smart decision on buying How To Draw Manga: Ultimate Manga Lessons! This book is great for the basics of Manga.
My personal favorite was the deep detail the author went into when drawing the head. I also liked how the author clearly showed the differences on age of the child, protagonist, younger adult, mother, and an elder.
I would recommend this book to all ages, only one page with minor, let me repeat, MINOR nudity. Overall, this was a pretty great book.
The Good 'n Bad.......2005-11-08
The Good:
Compared to the other How to Draw Manga series, I would say this book was a summary of every book in the series. With multiple artists and varying styles, it offers a beginning artist a definite edge and foundation for drawing manga. Not only does it show a more stylized version of manga, and also shows a more realistic version. This was one of the more useful books for head angles. The heads are a variety of , high, low, and side angles. This is very useful for a beginning artist so that their work doesn't look dull or monotonous.
The Bad:
I somewhat felt a little ripped off when I saw the price for such a small book. Also, it seems as if this book doesn't go deeply into each specific section. It's more of a 'general' help book. For instance, if you want to know more about anatomy, I recommend buying the 'Bodies and Anatomy' book in the How To Draw Manga series. This book is more of a 'overall' book.
In conclusion, I'd recommend buying this book if I was a beginner or intermediate. You can always improve as an artist. Hope you found this helpful.
it's alright.......2005-08-03
okay this is my first review ever so hang in there with me alright? Now I purchesed this book "How to Draw Manga: Ultimate Lessons vol. 1" mainly because I like the other HtDM books and I wanted to see what this had to offer me. When the book came I was expecting it to be as big as the other HtDM books. Boy was I wrong! it was as thick as the others but the hight and with were 'shorter' none the less the content of the book itself prooved to be of some help. The book itself starts off with the begining mini comic or 'manga' if you will then the table of contents, and then the actual material. The first chapter is all about the basics, starting with "practice by starting with copying" then it moves onto how to go and create your own charatures by showing you the basics of drawing (start with a rough general outline of blah blah blah then refine it and add detale blah blah blah). First they start with the head and face the move down to the torso, arms, and legs. In the book they also show examples of expressing emotions, depicting 'cool action poses', a little bit of sceanery, and how to properly hold your drawing tools. IN the book itself it says these are the goals it's trying to teach you:
1) The Basics of Faces
2) Basics of Figures
3) The ABC's of Tools ans Materials
4) Basic Background and Special Effect Techniques
and
5) Producing and Original Draft of Manga
In all it's a pretty helpful book; however it'll do you jack if you don't put it to use.. in other words keep on drawing. The book is only there to help you get ideas on how you may want it to look. It's not going to do it for you, or magically you'll be able to draw "manga" the instant after you read it.
Now I gave it 4 stars because for some reason I felt that it was lacking a little something in it.. other then that it's a great refference book for anyone, not just people who want to draw manga/anime, who wants to improve their drawing technique.
Good Book.......2005-07-15
How to draw Manga: Ultimate Manga Lessons Volume 1 is a good book to start with if you are trying to learn the art of drawing manga. This book covers almost all the basics and helped me alot. It tells you how to use different drawing materials and how to start drawing your own manga. It also showes you the differenses between male and female cheracters. Also as to be acspected in any how to draw manga book there is some mild nudity (but nothing that detailled). So alaround I think this is a very good book to start drawing manga with.-_-
Absoulutely amazing!.......2005-07-03
This is the most amazing drawing book I have ever purchased. This book is extremely helpful, especially towards the end. It shows characters in different poses to help you learn how to draw them. It does suggest in the beginning to copy some of your favorite artists' work. I copied pictures out of my manga books and then tried to do something original, and I have improved greatly! GET THIS BOOK!!
Customer Reviews:
The legend's story .......2005-10-26
In today's global economy, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for an insight into Eastern management philosophy. Akio Morita needs no introduction. A legend in his lifetime, he founded Sony, one of the most powerful and respected multinational corporations in the world.
This book is an autobiography of Akio Morita and it goes hand in hand with the story of growth and expansion of Sony as well as post World War II Japan. This is a story of young Japanese who dreamt of a great company and went on to establish one with his exceptional vision and intuitive ability. Many of us know the anecdote of how Sony's marketing team was not convinced of the viability of the idea of a device, which can play music when you play Golf and ignoring them Akio asked his Engineers to go ahead. Yes, we know that device by the name of Walkman.
The book starts with the Post World War II Japan, wounded psychologically and physically by the one of the biggest tragedies mankind has ever faced. The problems of rehabilitation, unemployment and recession, then reconstruction, the weakening of 'Zaibatsu' (the family owned Conglomerates) and strengthening of democratic style of management in companies, which helped many more Japanese corporations to come up, is explained beautifully.
Akio talks of the Japanese society and culture. The conservative and strong family-oriented culture reminds of the common Asian heritage we share with Japanese Society. This is really appreciable that such society can grow so advanced scientifically and technologically that it has not only challenged the countries traditionally considered powerhouse of industrial revolution but also taken a lead in many industries.
This book talks of the initial days of Sony in US market, initial problems and numerous complicated lawsuits it had to face. Then, finally being successful in creating a strong brand "Sony" in the US market.
This book tells of Akio as a person and family man. He proves that to have a successful career, you do not need to sacrifice family life. He says at one place that he thought of Sony as one of the children he has to raise. He comes across as a diehard believer in simple living and high thinking. He wittingly tells the difference between a rich man and a wealthy man to a European lady who refers him a better jeweler's shop for his wife. Akio believed in deep-rooted Japanese philosophy of "mottainai", which emphasizes on being skilled and efficient in using resources economically. It is wonderful to know how Japan is so successful despite being a nation with little natural resources. May be that is the reason for inventing smallest and at the same time powerful devices.
This book is a door to understanding Japanese management philosophy and work ethics. Akio in his lifetime made sure that he gets chance to address each new batch of fresh recruits into Sony on the company philosophy and tell what is expected out of them. He created a company culture of `employment for life-time' which he believed helps getting total loyalty of employees.
Akio was from the generation of Japanese entrepreneurs who not only created value and wealth for his company but was able to make `MADE IN JAPAN' brand famous across the world. This book tells how.
ýMADE IN JAPANý.......2005-09-01
What is that, which comes to your mind when you hear the words 'MADE IN JAPAN', most often than not a sense of supreme quality assured to the product/entity holding that tag. Well this book is also the saga of one of such Japanese company; the SONY Corp. 'Made in Japan' gives us insight in to Japanese working ethos, their dedication and vision. It is a story of SONY, a company that is world leader in many electronic and IT products and its co founder of SONY a young engineer named Mr. Akio Morita some forty years ago from the date it was first published, depicted in a simple manner by himself with the help of Edwin M. Reingold and Mitsuko Shhimomura .The superb style and information given in the book makes it a must read for aspiring managers as well as every entrepreneur.
It is really fascinating to read and as the story progress, from a small seedling organization to a big corporate giant that SONY today is. In spite being deeply insightful of management technique it is written in a very simple and story like manner that makes it a joy to read. Also provides insight into the culture of the Japanese people and the impact it has had on the way in which they do business. It is a plain simple story of a dreamer who dared to dream and Succeded.
"MADE IN JAPAN" starts with the social scenario prevalent in Japan at that time, the survival and hope conditions existing at the time of war with America. The book then showcases the life of Akio Morita born on 26-Jan-1921 in a place called Nagoya, Japan, starting from his childhood curiosity, interest and love towards the gizmos (then just phonographs and their electric siblings) to leading a small company, opened in a razed departmental store, to become one of the pioneers and world leaders in electronics consumer goods. It reveals the mystery behind the corporation that made others run for competition. It is a story of SONY, a company that is world leader in many electronic and IT products.
The book begins with Mr. Morita's account of the World War II, while giving a brief description of his parental background and his family tradition, thereby giving an insight into Japanese traditions of pre war period. While briefly recounting his childhood days, in a wealthy family, which was involved in the sake brewing business for fourteen generations. He had been groomed to be the successor of family business from the time he was in the third standard. At the age of ten, Morita's father made him attend all board meetings. He was taught to monitor the brewing process and evaluate the quality of sake brewed at their factories. He was also taught to deal with various people working for them. However, by the time Morita reached tenth standard, he realized that he was more interested in mathematics and physics. He pursued his interests and eventually, graduated in Physics from the Osaka Imperial University. Mr. Morita gives the message to youngsters about the kind of orientation they must possess during their childhood. The book then moves on to describe the rise of phoenix after Japan's postwar rubble.
He then narrates how immediately after his graduation, in 1944; he joined the Japanese Navy as a Lieutenant. And how at the Navy's Wartime Research Committee, Morita met Masaru Ibuka (Ibuka), an electronics engineer and how they became good friends. After the end of World War II, Morita accepted a faculty position at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT) in Tokyo, where he once again met Ibuka. Ibuka had by then founded the Tokyo Tsushin Kenkyusho (Tokyo Telecommunications Research Institute). Morita started working for Ibuka's research institute on a part-time basis. In March 1946, Morita and Ibuka decided to start a new company.
Mr. Morita, in his book, elaborates how a seven-member company TOKYO TSUSHIN KOGYO founded in a burned-out departmental store, rose to be one of the worlds most respected MNC in the field of electronics. It is also very interesting to learn how the name Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha a tongue twister as per Mr. Morita changed to the world famous name SONY (derived from the Latin word for "sound") in 1958. He then continues narrating the management philosophy and practices, fundamental to Japanese tradition, adopted by him and Sony that are different from the old fashioned conventions followed in the world and which ultimately lead Sony to be the conqueror of market place. Here he says decision making is one of the most important factors for the success of any organization. On Management he shows how the fate of a business is actually in the hands of the youngest recruit on the staff, then goes on talking about how a school is different from a company which is very important for an aspiring manager or prospective management student.
He proceeds with the story by talking about competition where he also says that competition pushes you to innovate and innovation is the key to success. In the mean time he narrates about all the hurdles SONY crossed and how well he organized the international dealings to achieve the worldwide fame SONY is having now. Sony became one of the first Japanese companies to build a U.S. factory.
During his tenure at Sony, Morita introduced Japan's first transistor radio in 1955, the world's first all-transistor television in 1960 and the first home video tape recorder in 1965. Some of the most successful and famous Sony products include the Walkman personal cassette tape player, the Trinitron picture tube, computer micro diskettes the BetaMax and the Sony PlayStation. He also articulately analyzes, in a chronological manner, the events that brought about the uprising of Japanese economy and its emergence as an economic power. Sony's role in this feat is also conspicuously illustrated.
He then comes to a meticulous comparison between the Japanese and American styles, providing pros and cons of both the styles in a methodological manner. Here he says and shows with the help of examples how Japanese attitudes towards work culture seemed to be critically different from American attitudes. Using an interesting word called Corporate Philosophy he compares the styles present in America and Japan.
The book not only talks about SONY and Akio Morita but also about Japan. From the book we get to know a lot about Japan's technology, how they cope up with natural calamities and the measures they adopt to fight scarcity. Being an Indian (as Japan is ahead of India in terms of technology) I was thrilled to know about the technology they were using in there cars then.
As the number of pages left diminishes the book throws light on Japan's relationship with the rest of the world, with the help of statistics he compares Japan's through out performance with respect to other developed countries. Where from we get to see how organizations like SONY with able leaders like Mr. Akio Morita are leading to the economic and social development of their country.
Akio Morita also concludes the reason for falling behind of US in the global economic competition. Towards the end of the book, he speculates the present status of Sony and Japan and finally ends with a strong note talking about the methods to be adopted in order to achieve global economic prosperity. The last line of his biography goes in this fashion, "The challenge is great; success depends only on the strength of your will."
WHY A PROSPECTIVE MANAGER MUST READ THE BOOK
This is an excellent book for budding entrepreneurs and managers and gives insights as to how small companies can take on big companies and win. This book gives the basic fundamentals for being successful in business. It is a learning journey at each step, especially for the budding managers. It teaches the qualities like innovation and entrepreneurship. This book teaches us patience and perseverance in growing a business. Akio Morita shows us that before being a good speaker, a leader must be a listener.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE BOOK
Through out our life we are involved in petty matters; time has come for us to think about something big, something great such that it adds to the benefit of the people such that the mankind as a whole remembers us. We must have a mission statement in life. A mission statement embodies our values and leads us to success.
We must remember that SONY was not built in a day it took a lot of time, a lot of determination, devotion, hard work and sacrifice. So we find out that to achieve something great in life there is not short cuts.
This book gives a new definition to innovation as a tool of success. Akio Morita once said about his most successful product 'Walkman' that, 'I don't think any amount of market research could have told us that our product will be successful.' He was of the belief that if the product is good enough and you are sure of its quality and market it properly, then it will definitely be successful.
'Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning. It is the key to success.'
Made in Japan - Read Internationally.......2005-08-07
The book is well sectioned into a broad, comprehensive range of topics from the war, technology, management, culture, world trade, etc. I found his approach to setting up in the US interesting (very non-Japanese).
The writing style keeps the reader's interest, although the vacillation between formal and colloquial ("flunked") reflects the fact that two ghost writers were used - one American, one Japanese.
Overall, a good autobiography well written, comprehensive, with broad appeal to the leader, technologist, international businessman and the politician.
A Must Read For MANAGERS.......2005-07-26
Hi everyone, I have just completed this book and found it not only an interesting one but a necessarry one to be read by any preson who is thinking to become a sucessful manager. This book is the journy of Akio Morita and SONY together.
Here Mr. Akio Morita not only talks about himself and SONY, but gives you sum nut-crackers about management also. once you understand the meaning of having fate with your emplees, getting new ideas and evaluating them, taking compitition and respecting compititors, building a brand, most importance of quality control, and ofcourse inspiring your coligues to go ahead, you come to know that you have just finished half of management training in one book. that's why I said it's a must read for managers.
after reading this if you think on it you will find a positive change in your attitude and views.
Great company and leader - Outdated and dubious book.......2004-09-04
I wavered awhile between three stars and two stars, because a company and entrepreneur as brilliant as Sony and Akio Morita seem to deserve at least three. However, in the end, the book's errors just piled too high. It opens well, with the story of Sony's founding and rise from leaking offices in a half-wrecked department store just after World War II, to becoming one of the world's great companies. This is a fascinating and inspiring story, and Morita tells it with flair.
Then, unfortunately, the downward spiral begins. Morita consistently takes his experience at Sony and assumes that every other Japanese company operates the same way, which is a fantastically wrong assertion (as the last thirteen years of Japan's seemingly endless recession have shown). He also frequently takes good basic management techniques, like trusting employees and giving them creative leeway, and tries to brand them as somehow uniquely "Japanese".
Then there are all the claims which are simply out-and-out false, such as Japan supposedly having the world's best construction technology. (It actually has perhaps the worst in the industrial world, as the Kobe earthquake unfortunately demonstrated.) Or how Japan is supposedly a nation fanatically devoted to not wasting anything. (Yet it only recently discovered the concept of "second-hand goods", instead of throwing nearly-new furniture and clothing away. Plus, Japanese garbage trucks groan under the weight of the world's worst overpackaging.)
Reading between the lines, a person can see the roots of so many of the problems that Japan faces today. For example, Morita spends a good deal of words attacking the excess of lawyers in the United States. While this can, of course, sometimes be a serious problem, it also gives U.S. consumers a way to protect themselves. Japan's consumers, on the other hand, without an accessible court system, are almost completely at the mercy of bureaucrats and executives. Complaints about dangerous products or chemicals in drinking water are simply ignored, because they lack any threat of legal action. In another example, Morita praises the "trust" and agreements without contracts that exist among Japanese corporations. In reality, this "trust" is a death pact, as bankrupt inefficient companies are propped up by their buddies, instead of letting them fall and create openings for fresh and innovative entrepreneurs.
Other than the glimpses into Sony's history and corporate culture, this book is only interesting as a museum piece - yet another in the flood of "Japan is going to take over" books that came out in the Eighties. Although, of course, considering all the "Internet companies are going to take over" books that came out in the Nineties, not even this is a uniquely "Japanese" phenomenon.
PS: Anyone wanting a healthy reality check about the current state of Japan should read "Dogs and Demons" by Alex Kerr.
Book Description
Over 600 photos together with a special section on marks and backstamps, Japanese patent numbers, and trademarks. Ashtrays, bells, candleholders, pitchers, salt and pepper sets, souvenirs, vases, wall pockets, figurines, and much more are included. New sections include Lobster Ware and Japanese Arts Crafts-style vases. AUTHORBIO: Carole White is the author of a four-volume series on Made in Japan Ceramics. She also wrote Collector's Guide to Lunchboxes and Glass Ceramic Baskets. REVIEW: This book updates information on a range of ceramics made in Japan. An introductory discussion of maker's marks provides illustrated examples while chapters organized by item type, from bookends to condiment sets and cigarette items, makes for quick reference. It is the perfect book for collectors of Made in Japan ceramics, and is a perfect addition to the three-volume series by the author.
Customer Reviews:
MADE IN JAPAN collectibles.......2007-06-14
I collect older (collectible) MADE IN JAPAN items and therefore I have quite a few books on the subject. This book is not complete but quite helpful. Photos are nice.
Many different volumes have been written on this subject. Infact, I own 3 other books on this subject.
When "Made in Japan" collectibles were issued there were sooooo many different items sold, that it would be impossible to include all of them in just one book. The author tried and did a good job though.
Not as good as the others.......2006-01-31
While this line of books continues to give pictures and markings for research and collecting, the author seems to be running out of examples when there are so many out there he could include.
Too Little Information.......2000-06-04
I purchased this book for the sole purpose of "Marks" identification. Sure there are pictures of marks, but none are identified. When I did a search to find books with oriental markings, this book was suggested. I was very disappointed ... pictures are great ... values appear too high. Enough said.
One of the Best !.......2000-03-21
Great color photos, informative text and a section on Identification marks that is worth the price of the whole book! I'm buying books #2 and 3 !
One of the Best !.......2000-03-21
Great color photos, informative text and a section on Identification marks that is worth the price of the whole book! I'm buying books #2 and 3 !
Average customer rating:
- new art movement in post-War Japanese society
|
Made in Japan: The Postwar Creative Print Movement
Alicia Volk , and
Helen Nagata
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Asian
| Regional
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary Art
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Prints
| Other Media
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Japan
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 029598502X |
Book Description
Made in Japan examines the artistic dialogue between East and West as it played out between 1945 and 1970. During this post-World War II period, Japanese printmakers effectively acted as ambassadors, bringing their aesthetic traditions into fruitful interaction with contemporary American trends and forging ties with artists, scholars, museums, and collectors. This volume presents for the first time an integrated history of innovative visual experimentation and pioneering cultural patronage.
The creative print (sosaku hanga) movement originated in the early twentieth century, when Japanese artists sought to modernize their practice by embracing Euro-American concepts of originality and autonomy. The movement matured in the decades following World War II, when second- and third-generation sosaku hanga printmakers continued to experiment in stylistic, technical, and thematic terms. From the early 1950s, Japanese printmakers participated in a newly global art scene, achieving great success at international art exhibitions sponsored by the American and Japanese governments.
The prints in this book range widely in treatment and medium, embracing woodcut, stencil, lithography, etching, mezzotint, aquatint, and screenprint. Made in Japan includes essays by Alicia Volk and Helen Nagata and biographies of the artists.
Customer Reviews:
new art movement in post-War Japanese society.......2005-05-30
In the rebuilding of Japanese society in the years after its defeat in World War, there was a "creative print movement [that] brought modern European artistic attitudes such as self-expression and formalist innovation to the Japanese woodblock print, a medium that had been rooted in the mass-production of popular images for several hundred years." The latest stages of this movement are becoming more widely known in the United States with the popularity of the Japanese manga and anime. The predecessors of this recent Japanese art are seen in the colors, designs, collages, subjects, and treatments of the post-war prints in this volume. One or two prints of 59 artists are shown in the main section of about 70 pages. These range from dark, tangled visions from having witnessed the devastation from the atom bombs to abstract designs to brightly-colored, comically erotic figures. Biographical sketches of the 59 artists follow the main section.
Book Description
Saving the Sun tells the story of the world's largest private equity deal where American investors made billions of dollars rehabilitating Shinsei, a failed Japanese bank. Within that business saga is the dramatic tale of Japan's brightest financial minds, the men who made the Japanese economic miracle come to life, and their struggle against the economic failure in the 1990s. Into this climate of despair, where Japan seemed incapable of reviving prosperity, came a group of wily and determined Americans who would discover just how different the Japanese really are.
Customer Reviews:
Best book on Japanese business practices I've seen yet.......2007-01-20
In the 1980's, Japanese business could seem to do no wrong. From business publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, to the mainstream press (Newsweek, The New York Times and CNN), the press wrote glowingly about Japanese business. For over a decade we read that our western practices were too short sighted and antiquated- we clearly needed to take a more "Japanese approach" to doing business, and in so doing, could be successful as they have been.
But a short time later Japanese companies were in big trouble in the US and back in Japan. Their stock market crashed, the real estate boom crashed, and the entire Japanese economy seemed to be not just in serious trouble, but in a meltdown of catastrophic proportions. What went wrong?
This book does an extremely credible job of explaining both how and why, and in simple layman's terms that anyone can easily understand. Using many specific examples, Gillian Tett shows how American and Japanese thought and business practices are polar opposites. These differences are not just a matter of the differences in culture between east and west--they go considerably deeper. But by the end of the book, the results were able to speak for themselves. By bringing in a new international management team made up of Japanese, American, Indian and Australian management, an insolvent bank that had been bought out for the first time in history by a group of western investors (!!) became a success story.
I'm an investment banker myself that has (in previous lives) worked for two different Japanese multinationals over a 7-year period in the 80's and 90's. My own experiences with Japan are mixed. I made some great friends, and have developed a high level of respect for their work ethic and their dedication to their employers, and usually, to each other. But in my opinion, the extreme xenophobia that permeates Japanese culture will not be lessened anytime soon. The term "gaijin" when politely translated means "foreigner." But to many (but not all) Japanese the term is not polite at all.
Get this one. I don't give out many "five star" ratings, but I so for this book without quibbling. I look forward to future works from Ms. Tett.
One well chosen case to illustrate a systemic problem.......2006-09-27
Saving the Sun is about the corporate culture of Japan's financial industry and how it is changing. Gillian Tett focuses on one institution, The Long Term Credit Bank, to illustrate what happened and how the financial environment in Japan is changing.
The LTCB was a key player in Japan's post war miracle. It lent money to fund business operations and new ventures, working in close cooperation with the elite bureaucrats of Japan's Ministry of Finance and Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Then in the 1980s, drunk on its spectacular success, Japan Inc. excessively invested in thoughtless projects, all funded by the LTCB and the rest of the financial industry, with no thought at all given to making money. Prestige was everything.
As a result, the Japanese financial system almost collapsed; what survived had to change. Banks began failing despite attempts by the Ministry of Finance to organize rescues. Some failed banks were nationalized, among them the LTCB; these institutions were then put up for sale but no one in Japan wanted them.
There were tragedies. Katsunobu Onogi, a fatherly and admirably responsible gentleman of the old school, was arrested and charged, spending a month in custody before being found guilty and sentenced to three years in jail, suspended. A colleague, Takashi Uehara, committed suicide, which in Japan is a gesture of atonement, not an escape. At another bank, the president parachuted in from the Bank of Japan, Tadayo Honma, also killed himself again to atone for the system's failure.
Then Tim Collins's Ripplewood, an American fund, arrived and offered to rescue the LTCB. This was politically difficult. The Japanese don't like foreign ways, and the thought of a pillar of Japanese finance being bought out by foreigners provoked public outrage. In the end MoF had no choice and the deal went through.
The bank was renamed Shinsei, meaning "Rebirth" in Japanese. A remarkable man, Masamoto Yashiro, was hauled out from a second retirement after a full career at Esso Sekiyu (Exxon's Japan operation) and the creation of Citibank's Japanese retail business, to oversee the reconstruction. Clash was inevitable. The conservative rank and file employees had no idea how to work with the hyperactive can-do go-go-go managers now running the show. A new Indian head of IT, Jay Dvivedi, junked the old mainframes and installed, in mere months, a new state-of-the-art system featuring PCs on every desk and instant access to whatever reports management wanted. The corporate planning department, which decided new products, disappeared: henceforth Shinsei would listen to its customers to determine their needs.
The financial revolution isn't over. Shinsei's success wasn't total. Major clients were allowed to fail, Sogo department store went bankrupt. Politicians blamed Shinsei for not being kinder to its debtors.
I've worked for the IT departments of foreign banks in Japan since 1995 so this book strikes particularly close to home for me. I can even see the Shinsei headquarters from my desk. Interesting and informative. Recommended.
Vincent Poirier, Tokyo
Enjoyable worthwhile read in Japanese economics.......2005-06-14
I don't usually read books like these but I decided to purchase it anyway. How can something as dry as Japanese banking reform be interesting? Well Gillian Tett made it interesting enough. As with her style of writing, I note that the chapter headings fully telegraph what is about to take place in the narative, I thought, well whats the fun of reading on if you know what is going to happen? With that, Tett's narative is replete with all the drama one can ever read in a good novel. There are deaths, gangsters, flamboyant characters, politics, society, culture clashes, and mix in with all of this, economics.
The Japanese are suppose to be the smart ones. They excel in many areas requiring technical knowledge. The media never misses an opportunity to point out how inferior Americans are when it comes to math and such knowledge. I was therefore amazed when I have read that the Japanese don't have a grasp of the simple relationship between risk and return. I would have thought that they'd have overly complicated financial models using high level math. But it turns out that, from my perspective, the way the LTCB bankers did business was bizarre. Why would anybody be paternalistic when it comes to money?
I won't spoil the ending but it seems obvious from the title of the book what will unfold, in fact, it is the heading of the final chapter. I belive but am not sure that the paperback has an epilogue, revisiting the many chracters as further back as 2004. There are classes offered at university focusing in Asian economics and also Japanese economics as well. Gillian Tett's tract would be apposite as reading material if you are into that.
Get an insight of Japanese Economy.......2005-03-25
This is the first book I read about Japanese banks and this has not only given me an insight about their banking system but about how the Japan's Economic Policy is the face of Japan's Banks. It is about the clash between Japanese Traditional way of life against the changing face of the world. This book is about Globalization, this book is about dreams, this book is about Japanese pride. Go read this book.
Culture clashes and financial mismanagement on a large scale.......2004-10-01
In the 1980's, Japan was considered an economic powerhouse and their sun was still rising. There was genuine fear in the United States of that power; the news broadcasts of the time were full of new Japanese purchases of properties in the U. S. and there was talk of restricting how much could be purchased. Much of this was based on real estate prices in Japan and some of the figures are incredible. At one time, the land area of the imperial palace, approximately 1.15 square kilometers, was estimated to be equal in value to the entire state of California or the entire country of Canada.
However, most of this value was nothing more than a speculative bubble, and very early into the nineties, it crashed. This left the Japanese banks with billions of dollars of uncollectible loans and looking for a way to survive. With deepest reluctance, some original thinkers in the Japanese banking community looked to American capital vendors to assist in their recovery. This is the story of those events, but it is just as much a story of the contrast and clash of two cultures.
In America, the flow of capital is largely freewheeling, the ideal is that it will always move to where it can most quickly be reproduced. However, in Japan, that is not the case. Lending is done based largely on personal and institutional relationships. Cooperation, even to the point of losing money, is the cultural imperative, reinforced by tradition and social pressures. It was considered very unacceptable for banks to call in unserviceable debt, with some banks referring to insolvent companies as "their children." Therefore, when the bubble burst, most banks themselves were insolvent.
However, the leaders of the banks did not come clean, preferring to hide their problems with accounting tricks. One humorous incident is related where the true records were hidden in a closet when Japanese government inspectors were conducting an on-site audit. This behavior, considered criminal in the United States, was much more acceptable in Japan, which points out what are the real lessons to be learned from this book.
Although the economic might of Japan leads those in the western nations to believe that it is economically similar, in fact it is not. The differences are dramatic and the explanations of how those cultural differences make economic differences make this book very interesting. Without the cultural contrasts, this is just another story about a weak, bankrupt company being taken over by another. While interesting, there is no real intensity to the story.
I was amazed at reading how an American company that specializes in takeovers managed to purchase an interest in an insolvent Japanese bank and how all parties handled the event. There were political repercussions on both sides of the Pacific and it was necessary for some fundamental changes to be made in the Japanese financial systems. The events took place in the early 1990's, well after the economies of Japan and the United States had two decades to get to know each other. And yet, there was still a lot of misunderstanding and some naiveté on both sides.
The Americans made the typical mistakes of thinking that the circumstances were no different than when they were on Wall Street. As soon as the company was saved and the price had gone up, they wanted to take their profits and run. This is anathema to the Japanese, and they should have known that. Their attempt to do so created a lot of unnecessary ill will that needed to be smoothed over. The Japanese also made the typical mistake of thinking that the Americans would act like Japanese after they purchased a Japanese company.
This is an excellent book on international finance and the recurring problems of the Japanese economy. For years, the Asian form of crony capitalism was considered the model for economic growth, and a force that could not be stopped. In this book, you learn the fundamental flaws of such a system and how difficult it is for two cultures to engage in an economic marriage of convenience, even when there is no choice in the matter.
Book Description
This all-new Book II is produced as a companion volume to Book I and none of the pieces pictured are repeated from the first book. Over 600 all-new beautiful full-color photographs together with a special section on marks and backstamps aid the collector in identifying and dating a collection. Special focus is given to the many styles, different glazes, as well as care and cleaning tips. 2000 values. AUTHORBIO: Carole White is the author of a four-volume series on Made in Japan Ceramics. She also wrote Collector's Guide to Lunchboxes and Glass Ceramic Baskets. REVIEW: This book is one of the first to be written on the subject, and is written by a noted carnival glass author and collector. A history of Imperial begins the book, then patterns and photos appear alphabetically. It is a great resource for carnival glass collectors.
Customer Reviews:
Made in Japan collectibles.......2007-06-14
I collect older (collectible) MADE IN JAPAN items and therefore I have quite a few books on the subject. This book is not complete but quite helpful. Photos are nice.
Many different volumes have been written on this subject. Infact, I own 3 other books on this subject.
When "Made in Japan" collectibles were issued there were sooooo many different items sold, that it would be impossible to include all of them in just one book. The author tried and did a good job though.
A wonderfully thorough reference for the collector..........2000-04-02
Carole Bess White has put together an exhaustive reference work on Japanese ceramics from the early 20th century to today. Her extensive research really pays off in this book, crammed full of photos of all types.
Bess covers everything from ash trays to water sets, candy dishes to salt & pepper sets, Satsuma to souvenir plates. I especially like the many photos of various backstamps (marks) she provides. The book has over 250 pages of photos, and includes catalog pages from current novelty producers. If you're interested in collectible ceramics "Made in Japan", don't hesitate to buy this book!
She did it again!.......2000-03-29
Book #2 is every bit as good as the first one. NO REPEATS !... and new information on the companies that made these delightful pieces. Color photos, marks and all the information you need. Ms. Whites books are getting like potato chips to me.. you can't have just one!
Book Description
Made in Japan these three simple words conjure playful wit, a delight in detail, formal elegance, and graphic energy. Author of Made in China, Reed Darmon has collected hundreds of images of everyday Japanese design and pop culture ephemera from the past century. Including perfume ads, art deco matchboxes, robot toys, action movie posters, Noh masks, kimono patters, sumo cards, children's books, household product packages, and much more, the fascinating objects assembled here reveal traditional Japanese artistry and techniques as applied to playfully modern design. A stylish object and graphic essay in one, Made in Japan is an extraordinary glimpse into the heart of Japanese popular culture.
Product Description
A guide book to the unique modernity of Tokyo's urban space through the architecture that architects would like to forget. Born of a functional need rather than aesthetic ideal, golf range nets span spaghetti snack bars and a host of 70 other remarkable combinations are pictured and described in this quintessential glimpse of Tokyo's architectural grass roots.
Average customer rating:
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Made in Japan: The Methods, Motivation, and Culture of the Japanese, and Their Influence on U.S. Business and All Americans
Boye De Mente
Manufacturer: Passport Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0844285064 |
Book Description
Carole Bess White Author Carole Bess White's four volumes of Made in Japan Ceramics have been bestsellers for many years. Her latest book features selections from all of these books, as well as hundreds of new pieces and photographs never before published - lots of luster ware and Art Deco, wall pockets, vases, kitchenware, a nice selection of Made in Japan spice racks, and a wide variety of useful and decorative objects appear in the book. Not only are there hundreds of beautiful pieces showcased, but there are detailed historical facts about Made inJapan ceramics. Among the categories are ashtrays, candleholders, condiment sets, salt pepper sets, toothbrush holders, pincushions, bookends, planters, wall pockets, Art Deco objects, figural objects of all sorts, and much more, including a section on Japanese Arts Crafts-style vases with all new photographs. Enjoy this sampling of old and new favorites from Carole Bess White.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty Book, Not Enough Identification.......2007-06-21
The book has clear vivid photos and a overview of all the catagories of Made in Japan collectibles but while she has the marks listed, far too many of them are not identified. There are 189 marks shown of which 101 are not identified. But nice pictures and well organized.
Made in Japan Ceramics.......2005-09-06
Rich in illustration, a mind boggling output of work from Japan which seems well documented and categorized.
Books:
- Jeweled Garden: A Colorful History of Gems, Jewelry, and Nature
- Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain 1850 to Present (Kovel's Dictionary of Marks)
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- Luckey's Hummel Figurines and Plates: Identification and Price Guide (12th Edition)
- Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D200 (Magic Lantern Guides)
- Majolica: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey
- Managing a Consumer Lending Business
- Marbles: Identification and Price Guide (Marbles)
- Mauser: Military Rifles of the World
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