FEATURED BOOK REVIEW

Nippon Suiseki Association, Inc. 183 pages, No ISBN. 30,000 Yen when published. 

The publication of the 61^st Exhibition of Japanese Suiseki Masterpieces (the Meihinten) marks a major change in this important, long-standing annual display of excellent viewing stones. The format has changed from the former and smaller vertically oriented catalog to a larger horizontal (landscape) format that is identical in design and layout to the past ten issues of the Japan Suiseki Exhibition catalogs. The Nippon Suiseki Association moved the Meihinten from its early summer venue at the Meiji Shrine to coincide with the annual Kokufu bonsai exhibition in February at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.  

This volume is an exhibition catalog for their February 14-17, 2024 exhibition. The catalog is divided into six sections: Special Entries, followed by Special Exhibits, Tokonoma Displays, a single Guest Entry, General Exhibits, and lastly, Entries from Abroad. This is the largest and finest exhibit of Japanese Suiseki and viewing stones in Japan.

This is a soft cover volume with a landscape format that best suits the mainly horizontal orientation of the exhibited stones. The text is in Japanese and English. 

Rating: Excellent, this catalog is a great way to learn about Japanese suiseki.