Yoshiaki Shimizu, one of the foremost scholars of Japanese art history,
taught at Princeton University for more than twenty-five years, during
which time he trained many students who have become respected professors
and museum professionals. Crossing the Sea gathers original essays by
thirteen of these students, in honor of Shimizu's extraordinary career
at Princeton as well as his teaching at other institutions and his work
as curator of Japanese art at the Freer-Sackler Gallery in Washington,
D.C. Ranging in topic from premodern Buddhist, narrative, and ink
painting in Japan and East Asia to modern and contemporary Japanese
painting, prints, and popular visual images, these essays present
innovative research that draws attention to remarkable works of Japanese
art and their fascinating historical contexts and modern
interpretations. Including reinterpretations of well-known works and
richly developed accounts of their meaning and function in historical,
religious, and cultural contexts, this volume also provides a
state-of-the-field portrait of Japanese art studies today.