A strange mix of ancient beliefs and intense modernity, Japan’s contrasts and secrets have always been fascinating – they were the same attractions that led Marco Polo to search for the island that he called Cipango, “the land of gold”.
Cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 200 years, Japan was surprised by the accidental arrival of the first Portuguese explorers but eventually gave in to the temptation of learning about the Other. With a blend of suspicion and attraction, the Japanese observed these Western Barbarians, who were soon joined by the Dutch, who were extremely fond of science. These foreigners inspired the Japanese for their artwork, terrified them with their religious beliefs and impressed them with their knowledge. All in all, the foreigners upset many of the Japanese people’s traditions and beliefs.
As for the Westerners, they were introduced to an exceptionally refined artistic style, a country of spell-binding landscapes and to a delicate and colorful world that granted more importance to the beauty of nature and the present moment than to the race to conquer the world.
Through lavish and exceptional illustrations, Nelly Delay and Dominique Rivolier-Ruspoli tell the fascinating story of the encounter between East and West. The technical, scientific and artistic exchanges that stemmed from that encounter bear witness to a nearly insatiable and reciprocal curiosity about and fascination with the Other.