Banmin chiyo no ishizue [Important Cautionary Firefighting Instructions for the Entire Nation].
Woodcut illus. (five are double-page). .5, 13, .5 (ads); .5 (ads), 17, .5; .5 (ads), 14, .5 folding leaves. Three vols. 8vo, orig. green patterned semi-stiff wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. Kyoto: Honya Juemon, [1789].
First edition and very rare; this work was written as a result of the devastating Great Kyoto Fire, which broke out on 7 March 1788 and lasted several days. It caused serious damage, including the destruction of the Imperial Palace and the Nijo-jo Castle. The fire so shocked the bakufu that senior councillor Sadanobu Matsudaira was sent to Kyoto to... More