Few cultures on earth can boast a history of art as sophisticated and variegated as Japan's. This show stopping collection from The Metropolitan Museum of Art traces Japanese art back to the Neolithic Jomon Culture (c.a. 10,500-c.a. 300 B.C.). Illuminating essays accompany all 38 segments of the collection. Of special interest are the pieces from the Asuka and Nara Periods (538-794), when Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China and Korea. Readers will also find much to savor in the Samurai and Zen Buddhism sections. For viewers drawn to Japan's globally influential modern design culture, the collection offers several satisfying pages of radically minimalist home and office décor.
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