"Pollock knows the country's design history well and the key role that design has in Japanese society. . . . In nearly 500 fully illustrated pages, she profiles 70 architects and designers." —Architectural Record Here is a groundbreaking, comprehensive overview of Japanese design during the last eight decades that will appeal to artists, craftspeople, designers, and historians. For the Japanese, the concept of design is not limited to functionality and materiality—it is deeply connected with culture and tradition. In this sense, everyday objects become more than their function: They are to be reflected upon, to be touched and cherished. As mass production became widespread in the postwar period, fascinating cross-cultural exchanges began to take place between Japan and the West. And in recent years, a new generation of designers has taken Japanese creativity into entirely new territory, reconceptualizing the very meaning of design.