ARTH 291/EAST 291: Art of Japan

Fall 2008

Chung-Lan Wang

murakamitakashi727.jpg

727 by Takashi Murakami (1996) Image courtesy of ArtSTOR



Laura Dowler, Fine Arts Librarian
dowlerl@denison.edu  / x6688 


Starting Points

    General:
  • Japan Encyclopedia / DEN Ref DS821 .F73 2002
  • Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan / DEN Ref DS805 .K633 1983
  • Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture / DEN Ref DS822.5 .E516 2002


    • Art-Related:
  • ArtSTOR (images only)
  • Grove Art Online
  • Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art / DEN Ref N7358 .B55 1981
  • Dictionary of Japanese Art Terms / DEN Ref N34 .N52 1990
  • Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art & Design / DEN Ref N7350 .B233 2001
  • Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints / DEN Ref NE1310 .H68 2005
  • Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 / DEN Ref NC1766 .J3 C53 2001

Finding Books

Try the following search techniques in the OhioLINK Catalog:
  • SUBJECT Search: Artist name
    Enter an artist's name (ex. Murakami, Takashi)
    RESULT: All the books by or about the artist, divided up by the type of book (e.g., "Exhibitions," "Criticism & Interpretation")

  • SUBJECT Search: Theme or topic
    Enter a topic or medium, such as: "Art Japan" or "Prints Japanese"
    RESULT: All the books about the topic, subdivided by time period or geographic region

  • KEYWORD Search: When you're not sure of the exact name or topic
    Use AND between terms to narrow your search (ex.: buddhist and shinto)
    Use OR between like terms/synonyms to save time (ex.: temple or pagoda)
    Use * to search all forms of a word (ex.: japan* = japan, japanese)
    Use ( ) to create a complex search (ex.: (temple or pagoda) and buddh*)
    Use " " to search a phrase (ex.: "buddhist temples")

Finding Articles

Databases help you find relevant articles from journals and magazines.
After you find a good article, use the Library Catalog to obtain the journal issue (if the article is not in full text online). If Denison does not own the journal issue you need, simply place an InterLibrary Loan request.

Main database to check first: Bibliography of Asian Studies.

Finding Images