Focusing on ten elements of Japanese design, Graham explores how visual qualities, the cultural parameters, and the Japanese religious traditions of Buddhism and Shinto have impacted the appearance of its arts

• The enduring allure of Japanese design
• The aesthetics of Japanese design. Katsura : refined rusticity in architectural design ; Shibui : subtle elegance ; Wabi and Sabi : rustic and withered elegance ; Iki : stylish, sophisticated elegance ; Miyabi and F??ry?? : opulent and stylish elegance ; Karei : sumptuous elegance ; Kabuku and Basara : outlandish elegance ; Ma : an interval in time and space ; N??tan : the dark-light principle ; Mingei : Japanese folk crafts ; Rinpa : decorative art of the Korin school; Kazari : modes of decoration and display ; Japanese design : a visual primer featuring contemporary arts
• The cultural parameters of Japanese design. Religious values and Japanese design. The aesthetic dimensions of Shinto ; Buddhist influences on Japanese aesthetics ; Design in Japanese culture : ten key characteristics. Relationship between fine arts and crafts ; Emphasis on craftsmanship and technological innovation ; Beauty in miniaturization and detailed workmanship ; Importance of artistic lineages and teamwork ; Linkages between literary and visual arts ; Appreciation of changing seasons
• Rituals order daily life ; Penchant for emotional extremes ; Distinctions in local and regional culture ; Fashion consciousness inspires innovation
• Early promoters of "artistic Japan," 1830s-1950s. Artists and art professors : John La Farge, Henry Pike Bowie, Denman Waldo Ross, Arthur Wesley Dow ; Art dealers : Siegfred Bing, Marcus Huish ; Scientists and physicians : Phillip Franz von Siebold, Edward Sylvester Morse, Percival Lowell ; Industrial designers and architects : Christopher Dresser, Josiah Conder, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bruno Taut ; Journalists : Frank (Captain Francis) Brinkley, Lafcadio Hearn ; Philosophers : Ernest Fenollosa, Okakura Kakuz??, D.T. (Daisetsu Teitaro) Suzuki, Yanagi S??etsu ; Art historians and art critics : James Jackson Jarves, Philippe Burty, Th??odore Duret, Louis Gonse, Sadakichi Hartmann, Laurence Binyon, Langdon Warner, Harada Jir??, Tsuda Noritake
• The legacy of the early writers
• Glossary