The Japan Society Review

By John T. Carpenter This catalogue was published with the exhibition ‘Designing Nature: The Rinpa Aesthetic in Japanese Art’. It introduces some of the most colourful paintings and artefacts of Edo Japan. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Directed by Annabelle Sami Sei is a middle-aged actor, once brilliant, but now fading. His wife orchestrates a love affair between him and a younger co-star to reinvigorate his career and help him find the brilliance of his youth [...] Review by David Knox

Directed by Amy Draper Usagi Yojimbo, presents an adventurous rabbit samurai and teaches us of war, responsibility and honour in Edo period Japan – austere subjects made delightfully light with the addition of rabbit ears. Review by Annabelle Sami

Directed by Lee Sang-Il The most surprising thing about this remake, directed by Korean Lee Sang-Il, is how closely it sticks to the source material, and how successfully it does so considering the wildly different settings. Review by Chris Corker

By Junji Banno The book assumes that the reader has a fair grasp of the history of modern Japan. It is thus intended primarily for historians as it is not an introduction to Japanese political history for the newcomer to [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Yoshihiko Futamasu The sufferings of allied prisoners of war forced by the Japanese military to work on the have been recounted in many books. This book is the first publication in English of an account by a Japanese railway engineer. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Owen Matthews This well researched and well written book traces the career of Nikolai Rezanov who sought to establish and develop Russian settlements in North America from Alaska to modern day California. It covers his [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Directed by Nagisa Isogai The Lust of Angels stands out from the many other Japanese films being shown in London at the moment for the fact that it was written and directed by a woman and the short movie’s main cast are all girls. Review by Mike Sullivan

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Jiro Horikoshi was a designer of Japanese fighter planes during World War II and The Wind Rises follows him as he struggles to build his aircraft and grapples with life in pre-war Japan. There are elements [...] Review by David Knox

By John W. Dower The book is a penetrating analysis of Japan in the immediate post-war years. In this collection of essays Professor Dower concentrates on perceptions in Japan and the United States of the war and its aftermath. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi