The tranquil beauty of Japan is captured in 18 quilted accessories that combine the traditional fabrics and motifs of the East with the ease and versatility of techniques from the West. This extraordinary collection of home-decor accents and gifts will add a touch of Japanese elegance to any room. Includes: • Eighteen beautiful projects, such as small wall hangings, pillows, full-size quilts, and room screens that feature popular Japanese-style fabrics • Step-by-step chapters arranged by season, offering a unique set of designs and colors for every time of year • A sizeable pattern library with over 50 traditional Japanese motifs to trace, reduce, or enlarge
Added by: JustGoodNews | Karma: 4306.24 | Fiction literature | 13 March 2011
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The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories
The first anthology to bring to the West in English translation the work of a talented group of Japanese science fiction writers whose works represent a unique contribution--rather than traditionally dealing with the future, they deal with the past and present.
From the 10th to the mid-17th century, religious organisations played an important part in the social, political and military life in Japan. Known as sohei ('monk warriors') or yamabushi ('mountain warriors'), the warrior monks were anything but peaceful and meditative, and were a formidable enemy, armed with their distinctive, long-bladed naginata. The fortified cathedrals of the Ikko-ikki rivalled Samurai castles, and withstood long sieges. This title follows the daily life, training, motivation and combat experiences of the warrior monks from their first mention in AD 949 through to their suppression by the Shogunate in the years following the Sengoku-jidai period.
The ashigaru were the foot soldiers of old Japan. Although recruited first to swell an army's numbers and paid only by loot, the samurai began to realise their worth, particularly with arquebuses and spears, until well-trained ashigaru made up a vital part of any samurai army. This book tells the story of the ashigaru for the first time, their origins, recruitment training and use in war. Stephen Turnbull draws on previously untranslated Japanese sources and unpublished illustrations that show the range of ashigaru activity, from sailors to catapult artillery men as well as the disciplined ranks of warriors that they had become.
From the 11th century AD, East Asian armies made increasing use of exploding missiles and siege cannon to reduce the fortifications of their enemies. Some of these weapons were very similar to those used in Europe - for example, the heavy siege cannon used in the siege of P'yongyang during the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century. Others, like the Korean hwach'a carts mounting over a hundred rockets that were used to bombard the Japanese at Haengiu in 1593, were very different from their European contemporaries. This book details the design and use of the wide range of weaponry available during this period.
