KAGETSUKAN’Ō, Kirei 花月栞翁亀令, author & KAMONO, Suetaka 加茂季鷹, ed.

Kagetsujō 華月帖 [Album of Flowers and Moon].

14 double-page woodblock illus. 26 folding leaves. 8vo, in orihon (accordion) format, orig. boards (covers a bit worn), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover. [Japan]: 1836.

First edition, early printing, of this famous illustrated book of erotica. “This is the most important printed erotic illustrated book by 14 painters of Kyoto and Osaka, particularly artists of the Maruyama-Shijo and related schools, [including the well-known Kanō Eigaku 狩野永岳, Maruyama Ōshin 円山応震, Tosa Mitsubumi 土佐光文, Gantai 岸岱, and Okamoto Toyohiko 岡本豊彦]…

“It is a work of great subtlety, in terms both of the delicacy and reticence of the scenes of lovemaking — depicted as discrete ‘shadow pictures’ — and also of the technique, carefully gradated woodblock prints done entirely in shades of ink. Certain of the pictures are said to be copied from old paintings secretly preserved in the collections of persons of high rank…[The artists] turn out to be most of the leading painters of the various Kyoto schools, both traditional such as Kano and Tosa, and modern, such as Maruyama, Shijo and Yamato Revival. This hiding of identities may be because of a general reluctance in Kyoto to have erotic works associated with one’s name; or else it may reflect prevailing conditions of censorship in the 1830s…

“The book was compiled by one Ito Genbei, of a family who held the hereditary position as the manager of the official lodgings for guests visiting the Bungo Taketa fief. Using the name Kireiken Toen, he was active as a flower master of the Shōgetsudo lineage in Kyoto and acquaintance of many famous men of letters of western Japan — such as Tanomura Chikuden, Shinozaki Shochiku, Rai San’yo and Kamo no Suetaka (who contributed the preface to the present volume). The title Kagetsujō, literally ‘Album of Flowers and Moon’, derives from another pen-name, Kagetsukin-o, used by Kireiken. According to his own postscript, the occasion for compiling the volume was so that Kireiken could take it as a gift on a trip he was to undertake to Edo.”–British Museum webpage.

This is a very early printing, executed with great subtlety and refinement; the blocks appear to be quite unworn. The printed seal of each of the artists is impressed in rich red ink (later copies use an orange-red ink for the seals). There is some disagreement between scholars regarding the list of artists at the end (present in our copy but not in the British Museum copy). While the BM’s description states that the list of artists at the end was removed in later printings, the same description later states that the very first printing included the list.

Fine copy, preserved in a chitsu. Minor marginal worming.