64 playbills, all with block-printed & color-stencilled (kappazuri 合羽摺) covers, all composed of three or four leaves, block-printed throughout with full-page illus. Small 4to (ca. 185 x 135 mm.), each self-bound. Osaka: ca. 1808?-80?

A remarkable survival: a collection of 64 extremely rare kabuki playbills from the historical theater district of Osaka. These playbills all have three or four leaves, and their covers are color-printed using stencils (kappazuri, a technique unique to the Kamigata region). They depict the main characters and the icon of the theater, and the succeeding leaves visually depict the story of the play or plays, with... More