Modern Japanese Aesthetics: A Reader

Modern Japanese Aesthetics: A Reader explores the history and development of Japan's philosophy of art from its inception in the 1870s to the present. This comprehensive work presents English translations of key texts, including Nishi Amane's Bimyogaku Setsu (The Theory of Aesthetics), alongside historical information and discussion on aesthetic issues.

The book examines the efforts made by Japanese thinkers to master and transform Western philosophical systems in order to discuss their own literary and artistic heritage. It delves into debates between proponents of Western ideas and more cautious approaches, as well as the institutionalization of aesthetics as an academic subject.

Featuring contributions from prominent scholars such as Onishi Yoshimori, Imamichi Tomonobu, Kusanagi Masao, Nishitani Keiji, Sakabe Megumi, and Karatani Kojin, Modern Japanese Aesthetics provides a sophisticated understanding of the process that led to the construction of aesthetic categories used in discussing Japanese literature and arts.