The world of mythical creatures born from human imagination.

Many imaginary animals believed to be auspicious symbols of good fortune originated in ancient China. The most famous ones are the “Big Four”: the Winged Dragon, the Chinese Phoenix, Qilin (a hooved chimeric creature) and the Spirit Turtle. There are many more, not only from China, but also from Japan and other regions around the world. This book showcases illustrated artworks, along with sculptures and applied arts, featuring these good omens. The collection, totaling around 240 pieces, is accompanied by rich, enjoyable and approachable text by Junichi Uchiyama, a professor at Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University.

Chapter One introduces the auspicious animals that originated from China, showcasing around 30 animals with explanations. Chapter Two presents another 30 animals that evolved in Japan. Chapter Three focuses on 10 rare animals from around the world, including India, Australia, The Netherlands, along with China during the Qing Dynasty and Vietnam under the Han Dynasty. Besides Albino animals, some animals from this chapter are common nowadays, but they were rare to the people in 17-19th centuries Japan. Readers can also enjoy artworks from the Kano school, the Rinpa school, and artists such as Itō Jakuchū and Kawanabe Kyōsai.

(image above) These stork art work backed by dazzling golden yellow panels are a commonly seen style of the Edo Rinpa school; I highly recommend the Elegance In Japanese Art book to explore more of these beautiful pieces.

(image below) The unmistakable art style of famed ukiyo-e ( woodblock print ) artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi. Definitely check out his excellent monograph art book.

I’m endlessly fascinated by the art and illustrations in folklore and mythology because a boundless sense of imagination is often needed to create them, and this book is a fantastic read from cover to cover. The book also features both Japanese and English captions so readers will be able to enjoy the art work with full contextualization. Highly recommended.

“Auspicious Animals – The Art Of Good Omens めでたしめずらし瑞獣 珍獣” art book details :

Dimensions – 228 × 175mm
Softcover, 352 pages
Full color, In Japanese & English

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