37; 31; 20; 21.5; 18.5; 24.5 folding leaves. Six vols. 8vo, orig. limp blue wrappers (rubbed & somewhat tired), new stitching. [Kyoto]: Hiranoya Sahei, 1658.

First edition, later issue, of an important and rare illustrated book; it is the earliest known guide to the sights in and around Kyoto. This is an excellent example of rakuchu-rakugai; it provides not only a wonderful picture of the city and its architecture but also documents scenes of daily life, ranging from court nobles to samurai to commoners. This type of gazetteer gives “inside” information, both written and illustrated, on the townspeople of Kyoto... More

151 folding leaves. Three parts in one vol. Thickish 8vo, orig. patterned wrappers (upper wrapper a little worn), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover (label somewhat defective), new stitching. From the colophon: Kyoto: Nakamura Magobei, 1710.

First edition of this important and useful bibliography. In 1710 “the Kyoto publisher Nakamura Magobei compiled a catalogue known as Bengi shomokuroku. The aim of this catalogue was to help the reader disentangle book titles which could be easily confused because they were read in the same way, because they used the same characters but different readings, or because they were known by... More

40 samples (nine might be missing, but see below) of decorated leathers of various animals, with annotations. Seven folding leaves. Oblong 8vo (128 x 224 mm.), orig. wrappers (many leaves somewhat wormed but not touching any of the swatches), stitched. [Japan]: late Edo.

Japan has always had a rich tradition of decorative leather work, employing the skins of deer, cows, monkeys, and horses. The leather products were used in trimming on military costumes, decorative clothing, and accessories (arrow quivers, gloves, shoes, saddles, jackets, religious decorations for temples, etc.).

The swatches in this manuscript are categorized by technique and complexity and... More

42 folding leaves. Large 8vo (290 x 203 mm.), orig. patterned wrappers, new stitching (a little loose). [Japan]: after 1807.

A most attractive collection of drawings, employing brush & ink with fine color washes, depicting a variety of fish and crustaceans (lobsters, shellfish, octopus, blowfish, crabs, tuna, carp, stingrays, flying fish, squid, sharks, porgy, salmon, catfish, sturgeon, ayu [sweetfish], sole, sea anemones, abalone, and clams), mammals (seals, whales, sea otters, and a fox), amphibians (frogs), reptiles (turtles, including a snapping turtle), owls, and insects (dragonflies and grasshoppers).

The drawings are finely executed by a skilled artist, and a number of... More

Many finely painted images of plants & flowers. Scroll (365 x 2850 mm.), with six joined sheets of paper, gold-speckled endpapers. [Japan: late Edo or early Meiji].

A very finely painted scroll, in rich colors utilizing some pigments with metallic elements or with a thickening agent to give a three-dimensional effect, of a medley of plants and flowers, symbolizing the seasons. There are images of cherry blossoms, violets, dandelions, Chinese milkvetch, fiddle ferns, morning glories, sweet William, passionfruit flowers, bush clover, Chinese silvergrass, kuzu flowers, coxcomb, Chinese bellflower, quince, etc.

The anonymous artist was extremely accomplished, and the transition of... More

Various formats and sizes. [Japan]: ca. 1787-96.

The Ogasawara School, founded in the 12th century, laid the foundations of etiquette for the aristocratic and samurai classes throughout Japan for many centuries. The school specialized in teaching horsemanship, archery, mounted archery, and samurai etiquette, on and off the battlefield. Over the centuries, the school transitioned itself to focus on a system of courtly manners, along with skills in archery for ceremonial rituals. The school continues today, supervised by the 31st generation leader, Kiyotada Ogasawara. The Imperial House of Japan uses Ogasawara etiquette.

This fascinating collection is made up of miniature models... More

101; 100; 100 folding leaves. Three vols. Oblong 8vo (155 x 217 mm.), orig. wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: Preface dated 1818.

The rice brokers of Japan during the Edo period became fabulously wealthy, not so much from dealing in rice but from money lending. In Edo in 1724, 109 rice brokers formed a powerful guild known as fudasashi (note/bill exchange), located in the Asakusa section of what is today Tokyo, close to the warehouses where the brokers stored rice produced by the farmers of various daimyos. The fudasashi stored rice for a fee, lent money at high interest rates to... More

About 250 black & white woodcuts (about 170 are double-page, a few in red ink). Six vols. Large 8vo, orig. wrappers (quite rubbed, occasional unimportant worming), orig. block printed title label on each upper cover, new stitching. Kyoto: 1806.

First edition of this finely illustrated work of the landmarks, famous sights, art works, and the chief cultural buildings of China in the late 18th century. The illustrators are the well-known Japanese artists Okada Gyokuzan (d. 1808), Yugaku Oka (1762-1833), and Toya Ohara (1771-1840). Okada was the first to create such detailed woodcuts in Japan.

In the meisho travel guide tradition, which... More

Many woodcut illus. in text. 33; 19; 20; 29; 26; 14; 12 folding leaves. Seven vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers (rather rubbed, some marginal worming in Vol. V & minor worming in Vol. VII), orig. block printed title label on each upper cover, new stitching. Osaka: Okada Saburoemon kanko, 1699.

First edition of this very rare book on acupuncture and moxibustion, the taking of the pulse, and traditional Chinese medicine. This was one of the three most important works of clinical medicine of the Edo period. The text clearly describes taking the pulse of patients, both of adults and children. The... More

Many full-page & double woodcut illus. 33; 33 pp. Two vols. 8vo, orig. pale blue wrappers (rubbed, lower wrapper of first vol. rather wormed), later title labels in manuscript on upper covers, new stitching. Edo & Osaka: Chojiya hebei et al., colophon dated 1833.

First edition and very rare; WorldCat does not list a copy. Okura (1768-1856?), was one of the three most eminent agriculturalists of the Edo period. A reformer, he wrote more than twenty books on all aspects of agricultural improvement and technology; they were among the best of their period for range and clarity of explaining the... More

Nine double-page & 19 full-page illus. in fine brush & various colors of wash. 18 folding leaves & one page (the pasted-down endpaper). 8vo (272 x 197 mm.), orig. wrappers (each leaf finely backed with supporting paper, upper outer corner of lower wrapper renewed). [Japan]: mid-Edo.

A most handsomely illustrated manuscript depicting various scenes of joint manipulation to many parts of the body. The images are finely painted and in fresh bright condition.

Manipulative therapy has a long history in Japan. “Healing of the sick through rubbing of the body was known to the earliest Japanese physicians, who brought the... More

31 playbills, all with block-printed covers & all with color stencilling (kappazuri) on the covers, all composed of three to five leaves, block-printed throughout with full-page illus. 31 vols. Small 4to (ca. 200 x 140 mm.), each self-bound. Osaka: various publishers including Tamaki (Honya Kiyoshichi), Daicho (?), Gyokukoken, & Hankane (?), ca. 1790-1830.

A remarkable survival: a collection of 31 extremely rare kabuki theater playbills from the historical theater district of Osaka. These playbills, which are also called ezukushi (“abundantly illustrated playbill”), all have three to five leaves. The covers, color-printed using stencils (kappazuri, a technique unique to the Kamigata... More