Trans. by Otsuki (or Ootsuki) Genkan 大槻玄幹 & Otsuki Gentaku 大槻玄沢. Numerous fine woodcut illus. in the text. 26.5; 40; 26.5 folding leaves (without the six leaves of ads at end). Three vols. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff greenish-gray wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers (bindings a little wormed). Edo & Kyoto: Suharaya ihachi 須原屋伊八 et al., Preface dated 1824.

First edition in Japanese; this is a very rare book with no copy outside of Japan. As Mestler writes: “The situation with regard to the ‘Yoi shinsho’ is all but hopelessly mixed up” (p. 213 in his A Galaxy of... More