This book introduces the reader of the world of contemporary Japanese bamboo arts. Twenty of Japan's leading bamboo artists are featured in portraits and through their stunning bamboo baskets and sculptures. The artists include the two Living National Treasures of Japan, lizuka Shokansai and Maeda Chikubosai II, as well as artists of traditional and contemporary styles. The author gives the reader the necessary background information to understand how this art form evolved over the last hundred and fifty years and the current challenges the field faces. With beautiful photographs by Pat Pollard and portraits of artists by Art Streiber.