Gaikoku Zōshohyō: Kan [Foreign Bookplates: Complete]

Kitamura, M. [compiled by?].

[Japan, ca. 1920s].

An album of 29 foreign bookplates compiled by the Japanese enthusiast "M. Kitamura", whose own bookplate is affixed to the upper pastedown and who has annotated several examples with the names of their bibliophile owners, artists, and donors. Included are ...

Gonin no Kakube, Jūnin no Hataraki [Five Kakubei Doing the Work of Ten]

Ippōsai, Yoshifuji [illustrated by].

[Tōkyō]: Isetatsu, [ca. Taishō to early Shōwa period (ca. 1910s-1930s)].

After a design by Ippōsai Yoshifuji, this unusual woodblock print depicts a jumble of Kakubei-jishi performers. Five heads are ingeniously arranged so that each appears to bel ...

Goshomotsu ["Books"]

Kashiwaraya Takesuke [produced by].

Ōsaka: Kashiwaraya Takesuke, [ca. late Edo (1830-40s?)].

A woodblock-printed advertisement for the Osaka-based bookseller Kashiwaraya Takesuke, a firm which was active from the mid-seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century. The leaf advertises Chinese books, Japanese books, scriptures, "sto ...

Grand Concert Parisien, Rentree de Mme Bonnaire [...] 

[Concert Parisien (produced by)].

[Paris: Concert Parisien, 1890?]. 

A chirimen (crepe paper) poster advertising various acts at the Concert Parisien. One of the acts is the famous cafe performer Yvette Guilbert (1865-1944), who joined the Concert Parisien around 1889 after leaving the caf&ea ...

Hamaogishū ["Collection of Seashore Reeds"]

Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by]. 

[Japan: publisher unidentified], Meiji 18 [1885].

A short selection of poems accompanied by one woodblock-printed karazuri (blind-embossed) frontispiece signed and stamped in the block by Kyōsai. The collection of poems (probably privately printed by those in the ...

Hana momiji ["Flowers and autumn leaves"]

Yamashita, Kōsen [illustrated by].

Kyōto: Miyata Toyamadō, Meiji 34 [1901].

An album of 37 colour woodblock-printed designs for kimono by Yamashita Kōsen. The designs present a creative array of themes including rabbits, birds, umbrellas, landscapes, and insects, and occasionally feature metallic pigments and kar ...

Hatsugoromo ["First garments"]

Kumagai, Keiun [created by].

Kyōto: Gōmei Gaisha Unsōdō, Meiji 41 [1908].

An album of thirty colour woodblock-printed textile designs produced by the textile artist Kumagai Keiun and the little-known Futaba-kai group. The brief biography of Keiun on p. 28 of the "Ku" section of Dainihon jinbutsushi: ichimei gendai jinmei ...

Hōnen Gokoku Matsuri: Rikai Shinbun ["A Five-Grain Festival for the Abundant Harvest: Understandings of the New Culture"]

Mantei, Ōga [text by]; Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by]. 

Tōkyō: Kobayashi Kiemon, Meiji 5 [1872] - [Meiji 6 (1873)]. 

One of the earliest Kyōsai-Ōga novels, on the importance of agriculture. Steele (2010) notes that ...

Tsutsumimono Orikata Hinagata ["Examples of Ways to Fold Envelopes"]

[Creator unidentified].

[Japan, ca. Meiji period (1868-1911)?].

A collection of 54 samples of papers folded in specific ways for various occasions. Rules for the correct pre ...

Ishō Sekai ["World of Designs"]

[Sawa], Kyūkō ... [et al.] [illustrated by]; Watanabe, Takijirō [woodblocks cut by].

Tōkyō: Seibikai, Meiji 34 [1901].

Issue 5 of the magazine Ishō Sekai, published by the Seibikai ("The Exquisite Beauty Association"). The eighteen textile designs included were provided by members of the Seibikai, and the woodblocks were cu ...

Jūnikagetsu [The Twelve Months]

Toyohara, Kunichika [illustrated by].

Kyōbashi, [Tōkyō]: Kamiyama Seishichi, Meiji 17 [1884].

A complete set of three large-format nishiki-e prints, each divided into four scenes depicting a leading kabuki actor in the guise of a child engaged in a seasonal pastime. Together, the three prints represent the twelve ...

Kanegura Sandaiki ["Three Generations of Treasuries"]

Hattori [Mantei], Ōga [text by]; Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by]. 

Tōkyō: Yamazakiya Seishichi ... [et al.], Meiji 7 [1874].

Three Kyōsai-Ōga zasshi bound in one, complete, on a family's economic struggles revolving around their pawnshop Iseya. The title of the moralistic work on t ...

Katsuron Gakumon Suzume ["A Vigorous Debate by the Sparrows of Learning"]

Hattori [Mantei], Ōga [text by]; Ōju Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by]. 

Tōkyō: Murakami Jūzō, Yamazaki Seishichi ... [et al], Meiji 8 [1875]. 

The first issue (of three), in two parts, of Ōga's response to Fukuzawa Yukichi's famous work Gakumon no Susume ...

Kenshi Rokujū-chō Kō no Zuki [Record of Incense Diagrams for the Sixty Chapters of Genji]

[Creator unidentified].

[Japan]: Fukueidō, [ca. late Edo period (1830s-1850s)?]. 

A single-sheet surimono providing instructions for a karuta awase (card-matching) game based on The Tale of Genji. The sheet includes diagrams illustrating the game and a scor ...

Kishō Shinbun ["Journal of Collected Laughter"]

Hashizume [Baitei], Kinzō [Kinga] [edited by]; Ōju [Tsukioka], Yoshitoshi [illustrated by]. 

[Tōkyō]: Kishōsha, [Meiji 8 (1875)]. 

Issues three, four, and seven of this scarce zasshi produced by the novelist Baitei Kinga and artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Issue three is titled Karikashi Mondō ("Questi ...

Kokkei Ana-sagashi [Funny Flaw-Finding]

[Utagawa], Yoshimori [illustrated by].

[Tōkyō]: Iseshō [Iseya Shōnosuke], [1864].

A comical woodblock print by Utagawa Yoshimori (1830-1885), introducing seven character flaws across two scenes. The nishiki-e, number five of an indeterminate number of prints in Yoshimori's Kokkei Ana-sagashi series, describes ch ...

Kokkei Usaharashi ["Humorous Distractions"]

Itō, Kyōtō ... [et al.] [text by]. 

Tōkyō: Kokkeidō, Meiji 15 [1882]. 

Issue seven of Kokkei Usaharashi, a magazine of short stories and kyōka, haiku, and dodoitsu poems. The publishing house that produced the magazine, Kokkeidō, was owned by Akiyama Buemon (d. 1900), a pupil of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and ...

[Kotatsu (Heated table)]

[Itō], Shinsui [illustrated by].

[Tōkyō]: Watanabe, Shōwa 6 [1931].

Kotatsu, a woodblock print designed by Itō Shinsui and published by Watanabe Shōzaburō in 1931 as part of the series Gendai Bijin-shū: Dai-ni-shū (Collection of Modern Beauties: Second Series), depicts a young woman seated in a kotatsu (heated table covered by a ...

Kutsu no Hiai = This Misery of Boots

Wells, H.G. [original text by]; Ōya, Sōichi [translated by].

Tōkyō : Nihon Febian Kyōkai, Taishō 14 [1925].

A translation by journalist Ōya Sōichi (1900-1970) of a work published in 1907 by the socialist Fabian Society, of which Wells was a member. In the work - an extended edition of an article published in December ...

Kyōji Kozaiku no E, Oteasobi Mono Shinajina [Stationer's Goods for Intricate Handiwork, Playthings, and so on]

Kyōjiya Hikobē-ten [produced by]. 

Kyōto: Kyōjiya Hikobē-ten, [ca. late Edo period (1800-50s?)].

An advertisement for goods produced by a kyōjiya - a specialist in mounting hanging scrolls and installing interior screens but also, as thi ...

Kyōjin Bikkuribako ["The Prideful Person's Box of Inevitable Fear"]

Hattori [Mantei], Ōga [text by]; Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by]. 

Tōkyō: Shōsetsusha Shorin, Yamazakiya Seishichi ... [et al.], Meiji 7 [1874]. 

The first fascicle of a three-issue series produced by Ōga and Kyōsai. The two other issues in the series, Bikkuri Ch� ...

[Kyōka Momochidori ("A Flock of Kyōka Poems")]

[Yanagawa, Shigenobu (illustrated by)]; Shakuyakutei, [Nagane] [preface by].

[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. 1830s?].

A book of kyōka poems illustrated by Hokusai's pupil and son-in-law Yanagawa Shigenobu (1787–1832), who was known for his surimono and book illustrations. This album features thir ...

Light in darkness = Anchū no kōmyō

Loomis, Henry, Yoshimasu, Takasaburō [text by].

Yokohama: Beikoku Seisho Kaisha, Meiji 39 [1906].

A pamphlet recounting the story of Yoshimasu Takasaburō's conversion to Christianity, by Henry Loomis (1839-1920), a Presbyterian missionary from the US working in Japan. The short work shows through correspondences how ...

Magobē Kakkeiron ["Magobē the Manager"]; Kyōjin Bikkuribako ["The Prideful Person's Box of Inevitable Fear"]

Hattori [Mantei], Ōga [text by]; Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by].

Tōkyō: Yamazaki Seishichi ... [et al.], Meiji 7-8 [1874-1875].

Two Kyōsai-Ōga zasshi bound together by an ex-owner. The first issue in the volume, Magobē Kakkeiron, ...

Makura Jidō: kabukiza shinkyōgen ["Makura Jidō: new kyōgen at the kabuki theatre"]

Kōchōrō [Utagawa Kunisada III] [illustrated by].

[Japan: publisher unidentified, Meiji 25 (1892)?].

A triptych by Utagawa Kunisada III (1848–1920) depicting the eponymous Kiku Jidō (Jidō of the Chrysanthemum, also known as Jidō of the Headrest) from the play Makura Jid ...

Manpō Eitai Shin-zassho: Nihon-zu-iri ["New Miscellany of Countless Eternal Treasures, with a Map of Japan"]

[Tokanshi (selections by)?].

[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. Bunka 8 (1811)].

This encyclopedic sheet, woodblock-printed on both sides, provides astrological, historical, and geographical information about Japan to the reader. The sheet could be ...

Meisho Edo Hyakkei: Asakusa Kinryūzan [One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Kinryūzan Temple in Asakusa]

[Utagawa], Hiroshige [illustrated by].

[Tōkyō: Uoya Eikichi, ca. 1856?].

A famous view by Hiroshige depicting the snowy approach from Kaminarimon Gate to the grounds of Sensōji Temple in Asakusa. The first print in the winter section of the Meisho Edo Hya ...

Miyako nishiki ["Brocades of the capital"]

[Ueno, Seikō (illustrated by)?]. 

Kyōto: Honda Ichijirō, Meiji 32 (1899)].

A collection of inventive designs by an unidentified artist or artists, previously owned by the acclaimed designer and artist Ueno Seikō (1871-1943). The woodblocks for the prints were carved by Kinoshita Yūnosuke and printed by S ...

Miyako Odori ["The Miyako Dance"]

Kajima, Seizaburō [text by].

Kyōto: Genrokukan, Meiji 35 [1902].

An illustrated guide to Kyoto's famed Miyako Odori dance, for distribution to Japanese and foreign tourists in April of 1902. The album-like program includes information in English and Japanese on the history of the dance, the names and roles of the (maik ...

Mizugaki manji sōshi ["Notebooks for brush-andwater calligraphy"]

Asai, Shigemitsu [produced by].

Tōkyō: Manjidō, Meiji 17 [1884].

A Meiji period advertisement for mizugaki paper produced by the Tokyo firm Manjidō. Mizugaki is a type of calligraphy practice in which the brush is dipped in water instead of ink.

One loose leaf, printe ...

Mongata Kiriyō-den ["Stencils for Crest-Cutting"]

[Creator unidentified].

[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. mid-Meiji period (1870-90s)?].

A playful woodblock-printed work on cutting kamon (family crests) from folded paper in a process called monkiri ("crest-cutting"). This process involves cutting out the desired template from the book, laying it on to ...

Nankyoku Tairiku [The Antarctic Continent]

Tada, Fumio [proofread by].

Tōkyō: Chiseisha, [ca. 1957-1958].

A large (115 x 109 cm) colour map of Antarctica produced in commemoration of the International Geophysical Year (also known as the IGY, 1957-1958). Professor Tada Fumio (1900-1978), who proofread the map, was a central figure in organising Japan's ...

Nankyoku Tairiku [The Antarctic Continent]

Nihon Kyokuchi Kenkyū Shinkōkai [edited by].

Tōkyō: Nihon Kyokuchi Kenkyū Shinkōkai, 1965.

A sizeable (79 x 109.5 cm) colour map of Antarctica edited and produced by the Japan Polar Research Association (J.P.R.A.) in 1965. The map has a scale of 1:6,500,000, and place names are recorded in English and occasional ...

Nouvelles Compositions Décoratives, 1re Série [New Decorative Compositions, First Series]

Gladky, Serge [illustrated by]; Rémon, Georges [introduction by].

Paris: Éditions d'Art Charles Moreau, [ca. 1928–1930?].

A complete portfolio comprising an introduction by Georges Rémon and forty-eight colour pochoir plate ...

Ōiri ["Full House"]

Kubo, [first name illegible] [produced by]; Sogai [illustrated by?].

Kōbe: Shinyūren, [ca. Taishō to early Shōwa period (1910-30s)?].

A set of six woodblock-printed match labels featuring illustrations possibly associated with kabuki or another form of traditional performance. The term ōiri (大入) which appears on each of the match car ...

[Documents Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (text by)].

[Ibaraki, Japan], Meiji 4 [1871]. Manuscript.

A handwritten draft or record of a text produced by authorities regarding the granting of official licenses to booksellers, on stationery woodblock-printed by the Koga Domain (present day Ibaraki Prefecture).

Two folded leaves, considerab ...

Oguri Hanguwan ["Oguri Hangan"]

[Author/s unidentified].

Niigata: Chida Tasaku, Meiji 27 [1894].

Issue one only of a hiragana version of the legend of the hero-warrior Oguri Hangan, printed by the Niigata-based uta-hon publisher Chida Tasaku. The fact that the edition is in hiragana suggests it was published for children.

Part one on ...

Oshiegusa Yoshiwara Suzume ["The Lesson of the Yoshiwara Sparrow"]

[Sakurada, Jisuke I (original text by)].

Kobunachō, [Tōkyō]: Igaya Kan'emon, [ca. mid Edo period (1800-30s)?]

A nagauta shōhon (booklet of lyrics for a "long song" dance-drama) for a performance of Oshiegusa Yoshiwara Suzume, a composition which likened courtesans to caged sparrows and ...

Nemuke-zamashi Hitori-tanoshimi Hitotsutose-bushi ["Hitotsutose Songs to Enjoy Alone and to Shake Off Sleepiness"]

[Satō, Tomochika (text by)?].

Sakata, [Yamagata?]: [Satō Tomochika?], [ca. late Edo period (1820-50s)?].

A hitotsutose counting song in twenty verses with strong Buddhist overtones. While the theme seems unusual, as counting songs were usual ...

Tōkyō: Mizuno Shōten, [ca. Taishō to early Shōwa period (1910-30s)?].

An advertisement for "Pyramid Best" cameras.

One leaf. Creases, paper lightly browned. 19.2 x 14.4 cm.

Reihō Mankintan ["Sacred Tiger Balm"]

Ise, [Japan]: Noma Inaba-en, [ca. mid-Edo period (17th to 19th century)].

An advertisement or set of instructions for the Noma family brand's Reiho Mankintan, a famous cure-all popular as a souvenir from Ise in the Edo period. The print is designed to look like a leaf from a book, as is apparent from the hanshin title colu ...

Ryūkō Fukitashi-kusa [Modish Seeds of the Sayings of the Wealthy and Arrogant]

Gyokusui, En [or Gyokusuien] [selections by]; [artist unidentified].

[Japan: publisher unidentified], Kōka 3 [1846].

A bizarre woodblock-printed compilation of single-frame giga (cartoons), featuring visual puns, nazonazo puzzles, and tricky wordplay often requiring knowledg ...

[Untitled Collection]

[Japan: various publishers, ca. late Meiji to early Shōwa period (1900-1940s)?].

A collection of fourteen labels and advertisements for products including matches, medicine, toys, food, silk, and so on, from the early twentieth ...

Sasei haiga ["Poems and illustrations by Sasei"]

Uzuki, Sasei [text and illustrations by].

Tōkyō: Uzuki Sasei, Shōwa 15 [1940].

A loose-leaf album authored, illustrated, and privately published by Uzuki Sasei (active ca. 1920-40s). The album features one woodblockprinted preface, one page of tips for painting haiga (simple illustrations to accompany haiku ...

Seijin Kimotsubushi: Kengu Shinbun ["The Thunderstruck Sage: The New Culture of the Wise and the Foolish"]

Mantei, Ōga [text by]; Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by]. 

Tōkyō: Eikyū Bunko, Yamamoto Heikichi ... [et al.], [preface dated Meiji 5 (1872)].

The first series (all published) of a Kyōsai-Ōga work on one of Ōga's favourite themes - ...

Seirō Hankatsū ["Poseur of the Bordellos"] 

Hattori [Mantei], Ōga [text by]; Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrations by]. 

[Tōkyō]: Kōbundō ... [et al.], Meiji 7 [1874]. 

Three issues, complete, of this satire set in Yoshiwara after the implementation of the Meiji 5 (1872) ordinance liberating all geisha and courtesans. Hankatsū (半化通) plays on the id ...

Seiyō komamono nokorazu ["Unexcelled Western sundries"]

Kanbe, Senzō [produced by].

Kanda, [Tōkyō]: Shinseidō, [ca. Meiji 20s (1887-97)].

A flyer printed around the end of the nineteenth century for Shinseidō (or Shinshōdō), a Western sundries shop in Kanda, Tōkyō. The illustration on the right side of the flyer, which is probably woodblock-printed, shows ...

Sekai Kokumei-zukushi [Compendium of the Countries of the World]

[Illustrator unidentified].

[Edo (Tōkyō): Fujiokaya Keijirō, ca. 1844-1856].

An apparently unrecorded colour woodblock print depicting a series of vignettes representing foreign countries. Curiosity about the wider world increased during the closing decades of the Edo period as Japan experien ...

Sentakusho yori Nomishirami Kadomo he Onmōshi-idashi no Koto narabi ni Mushi Sanka Nakama yori Sentakujo he Negai Izuru Koto ["A Formal Statement from a Laundry to Fleas, Lice, and Mosquitoes, together with a Humble Request from the Three Groups of Insects to the Laundry"] 

[Matsuda, Yasuke (original text by)]. 

Hacchōbori, [Edo (Tōkyō)]: Kyōya Sōbē, [ca. late Edo peri ...

Seru shiori ["Guidebook to seru fabric"]

[Ichida, Yaichirō].

Tokyo: Y. Ichida & Co., [ca. early Taishō period (1910-20s)?].

This 'guidebook' produced by Y. Ichida & Co. introduces the firm's factory in monochrome photographic illustrations, the majority of which show the machinery used to manufacture seru. The word seru derives fro ...