66: Japanese Illustrated Books, 1615-1868 [I-85]
12-16 July 2004
1) How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: Moderately. 2: Useful. 3: The course with Sandy Kita on Japanese prints was most helpful as an introduction to this course. The reading materials in many ways reviewed that subject matter. 4: Somewhat repetitive, also repeat information obtained from the Japanese printmaking course. 5: Very useful. 6: Very helpful. Good scope of Japanese history, society, art history, books, and printing. 7: Very useful – indispensable. 8: They gave excellent background information. 9: Very useful. 10: Very. 11: Mandatory to make understanding and use of time most advantageous. 12: I could get the fundamental knowledge and background about illustrated books in the Edo period (scheme of art in the Edo period). 13: Excellent.
2) Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1-2: Yes. 3: Distributed materials gathered and written by ET will be most useful. 4: Yes. 5: Excellent; yes – useful in the class and later. 6: Yes. Both complete and comprehensive. A great deal of time was put in for their preparation. The in-depth handout for bibliographical work (and classroom activity for the librarians) was excellent. 7-10: Yes. 11: YES – they are certainly sure to continue to produce dividends in knowledge and pleasure. The Katzoff books were certainly an innovation and delight. 12: Yes. 13: Perfectly. ET was able to respond precisely and speedily to questions of each individual in class, their special interests, and held two sessions especially for librarians/catalogers while collectors and booksellers studied Katzoff materials.
3) What aspects of the course content were of the greatest interest or relevance for your purposes? Was the intellectual level of the course appropriate?
1: Acquired a large amount of information on the subject (nearly) unknown to me. Excellent balance of lectures, discussions, slides, and primary materials. 2: Overview of history of Tokugawa Japan and the book [Tokugawa Japan] (technological, social, and economic ) were very useful. Then there was good follow-through on all aspects of illustration – artists, historical context, &c. I also found the emphasis on physical/bibliographic description useful. 3: Examination of different schools and terminology – viewing actual books – high intellectual level. 4: History of illustrated books with connection to style and artist, as well as schools of art. Intellectual level was OK. 5: The background involving subject matter and book production, The intellectual level of the course was excellent. 6: Survey of period, artists, styles, types of printing/publishing helpful. Instructor addressed interests of collectors, rare book librarians, and East Asian/Asian art librarians well. 7: Overall survey of developments and discussion of bibliographical description of Japanese illustrated books. 8: The instructor used a large group of examples including real books and digital images, which made his lecture so effective. The course filled my needs for my profession, while I observed the instructor was prepared for all kinds of questions. 9: Cataloging. 10: Discussion of the production of wood block printing and book manufacture. Discussion style – discussion always required attention and thought. 11: The level was appropriate – something to reach for, like the “brass ring.” I enjoyed the historical comparison with other countries. 12: To increase knowledge about printing techniques in the Edo period. 13: Particular types of prints. Intellectual level of class outstanding.
4) Was the Washington field trip worthwhile?
1: Yes. 2: Yes – especially for prints and certain artists. 3: Yes – the books at the Sachler were particularly wonderful. The bus trip was awful (no suspension), and lunch arrangements were not good and should be improved for the group as a whole. 4: The trip was very worthwhile. Materials and staff were excellent. The bus (van) was without suspension and was most uncomfortable, especially for each way of one-and-a-half hours. 5: Yes. Better transportation should be arranged. The vehicle’s suspension and/or springs were unsatisfactory. The ride was rough. 6: Definitely. Freer Library’s materials well organized and presented. Viewing van Biema Japanese prints a plus. Sackler/Freer very generous to share staff and institution resources. 7: Yes – very. 8-9: Yes. 10: Yes! The transportation was bumpy, but otherwise good. The facilities were marvelous! 11: YES. The opportunity to see the museum from the inside, to see how they handled their treasures was overwhelming and to see their real treasures was only to be “dreamt on.” 12: Yes. The field trip is very useful and valuable, especially as I really appreciate seeing a lot of Ukiyo-e from the collection. 13: Superb. We should have been able to stay longer since museums were open on Thursday evening.
5) What did you like best about the course?
1: ET and Lionel Katzoff – the content and professionalism of their instruction. ET is a superb scholar and teacher; he generously shared his knowledge and passion. 2: The course was well organized – slides, formal lectures, informal discussions, and readings were all balanced out well so that there wasn’t too much of anything for too long. ET is an excellent lecturer – well prepared, knowledgeable, and entertaining. 3: ET’s tremendous knowledge and gentle manner in which he imparted information. Variety in class of lecture, discussion, slides, and viewing of actual books. 4: Being able to see the actual books. 5: The interaction of all the participants and the information imparted. The instructor gave an excellent, understandable presentation. 6: Being guided through material: actual items (Katzoff and Freer) plus excellent digitized images and skilled, effective use of PowerPoint. 7: Instructor’s organization and enthusiasm. The chance to see (up close) a range of fabulous books. Printing techniques often so subtle that they would be invisible behind glass or in reproductions. 8: Please see the answer given to question number three. Plus, the instructor gave us plenty of opportunities for casual discussions outside of classes. Really appreciated his patience. 9: Class at the Freer-Sackler Gallery. 10: Viewing the books and prints and relating them to the history, culture, and economy. 11: I need more time for digestion of this. 12: Lectures with high quality digital teaching material. 13: ET’s breadth of knowledge, pacing, and enthusiasm for his subject.
6) How could the course have been improved?
1: Perfect, except for (see answer to [question] number seven). 2: Cradles should have been on hand so we could pass the books around the table safely to see them close up. The bus from Baltimore to DC was very rough and bumpy! Get a new company! My vertebrae are still recovering! 3: Add more hands-on opportunity to view actual books – compare copies and styles through more slides. 4: I can’t think of any improvements in the course. However, the room used was very stuffy. 5: Only in the area of transportation for the field trip. 6: A little more time for bibliographic work. 7: At least one session/day should be given to non-beautiful books. I would like to learn how images were used (or not) in Japanese books to communicate information. What sort of texts used illustrations and which didn’t, &c. More on binding would be welcome. 8: There were some people from the same institutions. If you had chosen one from each institution, you could have given a chance to people who were in the waiting list. 9: Having the entire course held at the Freer-Sackler Gallery. 10: The facility at the Walters was cramped and lighting not ideal. 11: More time with the museum here, more space for the meeting. 12: This course allowed me to develop the knowledge about imprints of Edo-period publications, including specifying a publisher and date of publication. 13: Closer looks at books. Perhaps a less confining room. Passing things could be done as at RBS with baskets.
7) We are always concerned about the physical well-being both of the collections and of materials owned by our host institutions and their friends. If relevant, what suggestions do you have for the improved classroom handling of such materials used in your course this week?
1: Hated the room. Lighting excruciating. Was forced to wear sunglasses when not looking at material. Also, the van needs new springs – very bumpy. Also, the field trip started a little too early. 2: Books were handled very safely. 3: Not an issue. 4: Handling of the material was very much appropriate for conservation – no touching, but close enough to see all the details. 5: Everything was satisfactory. 6: N/A. 7: The physical well being of the class could be improved by better lighting. Naked light bulbs and halogen spots create very uncomfortable glare. 10: The materials from a non-technical point of view seemed good. 11: The use of trays and Styrofoam “trays” worked well, and I believe we were well behaved with both the Katzoff collection and the museum’s. 12: N/A. 13: See [response to question number six] above.
8)) Did you get your money’s worth? Any final thoughts?
1: Yes! 2: I got more than my money’s worth. I highly recommend the course. 3: Absolutely yes! Change the room location at the Walters – lighting is glaring (no cover to overhead bulbs), air is stagnant, and in general, there is an overall claustrophobic feeling. 4: Yes. A good mix of connoisseurship and technical information. 5: Yes. The course is recommended to anyone interested in Japanese wood block-illustrated books. This recommendation is aimed at beginners and experts. 6: Yes. For me, the Baltimore/Washington locations were good. 7: Yes.
8: It is usually not possible to have this extent of almost “hands-on” experience with Japanese rare books and learn the entire history. Highly recommended!! 9: Yes. 10: Yes! I would recommend it without reservation. 11: Yes – start early in the reading and pursue all suggestions. 12: Yes. I, however, want the Rare Book School to provide better hotel accommodations – a reasonable rate and better facilities. 13: Yes – make sure they know what time period the class covers. I expected more c19 when it was classically prior to that.
Number of respondents: 13
Percentages
Leave Tuition Housing Travel
Institution Institution Institution Institution
gave me leave paid tuition paid housing paid travel
38% 23% 8% 8%
I took vaca- I paid tui- I paid for my I paid my own
tion time tion myself own housing travel
0% 46% 54% 69%
N/A: self- N/A: Self- N/A: stayed N/A: lived
employed, re- employed, with friends nearby
tired, or had retired, or or lived at
summers off exchange home
62% 31% 38% 23%
There were three rare book librarians (23%), three antiquarian booksellers (23%), two general librarians with some rare book duties (15%), two book collectors (15%), one general librarian with no rare book duties (8%), one “amateur” reader and collector (8%), and one enthusiast for Japanese arts, history, and culture (8%).