The makers of obi, the elegant and costly sash worn over kimono in Japan, belong to an endangered species. These families of manufacturers, weavers, and other craftspeople centered in the Nishijin weaving district of Kyoto have practiced their demanding craft for generations. In recent decades, however, as a result of declining markets for kimono, they find their livelihood and pride harder to sustain. This book is a poignant exploration of a vanishing world. Tamara Hareven integrates historical research with intensive life ...
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The makers of obi, the elegant and costly sash worn over kimono in Japan, belong to an endangered species. These families of manufacturers, weavers, and other craftspeople centered in the Nishijin weaving district of Kyoto have practiced their demanding craft for generations. In recent decades, however, as a result of declining markets for kimono, they find their livelihood and pride harder to sustain. This book is a poignant exploration of a vanishing world. Tamara Hareven integrates historical research with intensive life history interviews to reveal the relationships among family, work, and community in this highly specialized occupation. Hareven uses her knowledge of textile workers' lives in the United States and Western Europe to show how striking similarities in weavers' experiences transcend cultural differences. These very rich personal testimonies, taken over a decade and a half, provide insight into how these men and women have juggled family and work roles and coped with insecurities. Readers can learn firsthand how weavers perceive their craft and how they interpret their lives and view the world around them. With rare immediacy, The Silk Weavers of Kyoto captures a way of life that is rapidly disappearing.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good+ No Dust Jacket. Size: 9x6x2; University of California Press, 2002; First Printing with full number line. Very good+ hardcover, from a private collection. Binding is tight, sturdy, and square; boards, photos/illustrations and text unmarked and clean. Exterior looks very nice. No dust jacket (not sure one was issued). Ships from Dinkytown in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Seller's Description:
New with No dust jacket as issued. 0520228170. Cover is red cloth with gold lettering on the spine. Pages are clean and tight; this is a NEW book. Illustrated with 4 maps and 29 b/w figures; 9 tables. Printed on acid free paper. "This book addresses key issues that have preoccupied historians, anthropologists, and sociologists over several decades concerning the interrelationships between family and work. As a case study, it examines the lives of the craftspeople and manufactureres who produce a luxury silk textile--the OBI (sash) worn over the KIMONO--in Kyoto's traditional weaving district....I have pursued questions relating to this topic since the late 1960s...This book examines patterns of family and work in Nishijin as they have changed over this past century". Sections are: Family, Work and the Division of Labor in Nishijin: A Historical Analysis; The Nishijin People's Own Stories; Conclusion; Appendix; Glossary; bibliography, index. Fascinating look at a more and more esoteric craft and the way of life that accompanies it. Silk, you can never have enough of it in your life, and these artisans make it even more clear as to how and why that is.; B&W Photographs; 6 x 9 1/4; 346 pages; Cover has very minor rubbing; no DJ, as issued.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New with No dust jacket as issued. 0520228170. Cover is red cloth with gold lettering on the spine. Pages are clean and tight; this is a NEW book. Illustrated with 4 maps and 29 b/w figures; 9 tables. Printed on acid free paper. "This book addresses key issues that have preoccupied historians, anthropologists, and sociologists over several decades concerning the interrelationships between family and work. As a case study, it examines the lives of the craftspeople and manufactureres who produce a luxury silk textile--the OBI (sash) worn over the KIMONO--in Kyoto's traditional weaving district....I have pursued questions relating to this topic since the late 1960s...This book examines patterns of family and work in Nishijin as they have changed over this past century". Sections are: Family, Work and the Division of Labor in Nishijin: A Historical Analysis; The Nishijin People's Own Stories; Conclusion; Appendix; Glossary; bibliography, index. Fascinating look at a more and more esoteric craft and the way of life that accompanies it. Silk, you can never have enough of it in your life, and these artisans make it even more clear as to how and why that is.; B&W Photographs; 6 x 9 1/4; 346 pages; Cover has very minor rubbing; no DJ as issued.