Scroll (260 x 2160 mm.), with six fine illustrations pasted on, decorative endpaper at beginning. [Japan: late Edo].

A very attractive scroll on the tea ceremony building and its surroundings, illustrated with six fine scenes in brush and colors from different directions and perspectives. We have not encountered anything like this before. Our scroll offers six perspectives of the tea ceremony building, its surrounding highly designed gardens, and other features.

The six scenes are as follows:

1. The first scene, looking to the east from the tea ceremony room, shows the koshikake machiai (waiting room with a bench for seating)... More

More than 400 collotypes. Ten vols. Small folio, orig. blue wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, orig. stitching. From the colophon (in trans.): Shanghai: Shang wu yin shu guan, 1924.

A fine and very rare edition of the earliest calligraphy collection of China. “In 992, the third year of the Chunhua reign (990-995), by command of the Song dynasty Emperor Zhao Jiong (reigned 976-998), the Court Calligrapher Wang Zhu selected masterpieces of calligraphy in the imperial collection. He had them carved in stone, and then had rubbings made which were mounted into an album. As a collective album... More

46; 40; 19 folding leaves. Three vols. Large 8vo, orig. pale brown wrappers (somewhat rubbed), orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. [Edo: 1657].

Second and best early edition. The extremely rare first edition appeared in Kyoto in 1477, but our edition, a so-called Meireki-bon, is judged to be most complete.

“In 1464 the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436-1490) asked the Zen monk Zuikei Shuho (1391-1473) to compose an official letter from the shogun to the Ming emperor. His interest in diplomatic history aroused, Zuikei Shuho began a compilation of pertinent documents. The result of his efforts, Zenrin kokuhoki... More