'Japanese Design' is the first book to be published in the West to penetrate Japanese design thinking and assess the values and concepts the Japanese have cherished for centuries and to analyse the ideas that have found their way into contemporary design. Beginning with an appraisal of the fundamentals of Japanese thought, aesthetics and culture and how they have influenced modern design, Penny Sparke examines the industrialization of Japan since it was opened to the world in the mid-19th century. She looks at the special meaning design has taken on in contemporary manufacture and explores themes such as the anonymity of the designer and the close relationship between design and marketing.