Extraordinary Persons: Works by Eccentric, Nonconformist Japanese Artists of the Early Modern Era (1580-1868) in the Collection of Kimiko and John Powers

The Powers Collection, formed with the assistance of leading Japanese scholars, is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the West and includes works by such outstanding painters as Yosa Buson, Ike no Taiga, and Uragami Gyokudo and literary figures such as novelist Ihara Saikaku and poet Matsuo Basho.

This new catalogue is the result of studies of the collection undertaken for nearly thirty years by Harvard University faculty and students under the direction of John Rosenfield, an outstanding authority in the field. It begins with an lengthy introductory essay exploring the concept of eccentricity in Japan (a concept akin to that of Romantic Genius in Europe). The entries are divided into seven sections exploring the different social and ideological constituencies for the visual arts of that era; each section will have a short introductory essay. Each of the 235 works is illustrated with details of seals and signature; the catalogue entries explore the style, subject matter, and authenticity of each work. No other work in Western language contains the same detail or range of subjects.

The book also provides an extensive array of scholarly references. An appendix contains biographies of each artist and major patron represented here, exploring their intellectual and artistic backgrounds. In addition, it contains a highly detailed index that organizes the information and facilitates the book's use as a reference tool. In collaboration with Fumiko E. Cranston, and edited by Naomi Noble Richard.