Manuscript on fine paper of Shojin gyorui monogatari [Tale of Vegetables and Fish].
30 leaves, one blank leaf at end with scholarly annotations dated 1927, all on fine torinoko paper. Small 4to (240 x 178 mm.), decchoso (“butterfly”) binding of early decorated navy blue wrappers (a few careful repairs, one leaf sprung); landscapes of pine trees with mist, all in gold & gold “mud,” painted on covers; orig. orange manuscript title label on upper wrapper. [Japan: mid-Edo].
A beautifully written and bound manuscript of Shojin gyorui monogatari, a fascinating parody of the Heike monogatari [Tale of Heike], a historical epic written in the late 12th or early 13th century. Tale of Heike, second... More