Book & Film Reviews

OTAFUKU Joy of Japan by Amy Katoh

Hardback 6 1/4 inches by 7 1/2 inches, 192 Pages
ISBN 0-8048-3364-8
Tuttle Publishing 2005

Written in English and Japanese, this is a small gem of a book, illustrating the image of Otafuku, a smiling, genial, mythical figure from Japan's distant past. The colourful renditions of Otafuku, in folk textiles, pottery, clay and wood are from Amy Katoh's own collection, her benign countenance can only bring peace and tranquility to a home. From a textile point of view, Otafuku often appears on kasuri indigo cloth, photographic examples of this are included in the book together with country recipes. Imagine a summers day, tables covered with indigo cloth, blue and white china, rustic pots, apricot bars and plum (ume) wine. This book gives an insight into Japanese Folklore, with it's colourful plates and Haiku poetry it is guaranteed to lift the spirit and heart on any cloudy day. Highly Recommended.

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