num_pages: 200
description: "The present biography of Kokan-the first ever to appear in a Western language-traces the life and achievements of this remarkable man. His art is treated at length and illustrated with over 100 plates, including 14 in full color. No less interesting is the full description, with many quotations, of his many books based on Western sources-books in which he explained matters as varied as perspective in drawing, European social customs, and principles of navigation. The picture that emerges from the background of Kokan's long. eventful life shows a Japan just awakening from centuries of introspection-a picture that is vital to an understanding of that nation's genius. Altogether this is a fascinating study of a most uncommon man and artist, of a germinal figure in Japan's modern history." This book has 200 pages and is profusely illustrated
language: English
title: Shiba Kokan: Artist, Innovator, and Pioneer in the Westernization of Japan
titlecomplete: Shiba Kokan: Artist, Innovator, and Pioneer in the Westernization of Japan (Studies of the East Asian Institute, Columbia University)
ratings_count: 1
publisher: John Weatherhill, Inc., NY