Japan and Britain after 1859

"This is a study of the cultural bridges between Japan and Britain after Japan was forced to open her doors to Western intrusion. The Japanese were shocked to discover they had no foreign trade with which to bargain. They quickly recognised the importance of 'export' ware, pretty china, to create a demand. Their campaign to hijack the Great Exhibition, worldwide, succeeded beyond their widest dreams. Everywhere Westerners were enchanted by Japanese pavilions, gardens and tea-houses. In Japan they snapped up books in English and had British architects build Western style buildings. In Britain, Japonisme became a craze. Everyone, including the music hall artiste Marie Lloyd, joined the fun. The wild success of The Mikado (1885) is a reminder of the excitement. Behind all this there were serious men and women, like the artist Frank Brangwyn, the anthropologist Isabella Bird, the poet Laurence Binyon and the potter Bernard Leach who were also committed to Japan and Japanese culture. It is the activities and experiences of these, and similar, individuals, and the broader background against which they operated, that are the main concern of this book."--BOOK JACKET.