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 ...

Minken Hizakurige ["A Journey Through Civil Rights"]

Seizaburō, Kida [text by]; Suita, Dōshi [Tajima, Shōji] [preface by]; Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by]. 

Tōkyō: Kinkōdō, Meiji 15 [1882]. 

The first series (all published) of this work satirising the political debate around civil rights and democracy (the Jiyū Minken Undō (Freedom an ...

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 ...

Monyo shōhin ["Small patterns"]

[Tsuda, Seifū (illustrated by)]; Honda, Ichijirō [edited by].

Kyōto: Honda Unkindō, Meiji 33-[35] [1900-(1902)]. 

A two-volume compendium of woodblock-printed designs and patterns illustrated by the acclaimed graphic designer Tsuda Seifū (1880–1978) and produced by the famous design book publisher Unkindō.& ...

Musha Jūroku Musashi ["A Jūroku Musashi Game of Warriors"]

Ōsai [Utagawa], Fusatane [illustrated by].

Bakurochō, [Tōkyō]: Higuchi Gintarō, [ca. Meiji period (1880-90s?)].

A variation on a classic Japanese strategy game, Jūroku Musashi ("Sixteen Soldiers"). In the game, which is believed to have originated in the Edo period, two players first decide who ...

Namamugi Jiken no Tenmatsu: Machibure Ikken no Utsushi ["Copy of the Official Notices on the Details of the Namamugi Incident"]

[Scribe unidentified].

[Japan, ca. Bunkyū period (1860s)?].

A manuscript compilation of records of the arrival of British warships in Yokohama in 1863 following the Namamugi Incident. On the 14th of September 1862, the British me ...

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 ...

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 Tanken [Expedition to Antarctica]

Shirase, Nobu [text by].

Tōkyō: Hakubunkan, Taishō 2 [1913]. Third edition.

A third edition of the personal account of Japan's first Antarctic expedition (1910-1912) recorded by the expedition's leader, Japanese Army Lieutenant Shirase Nobu (1861–1946). Shirase's crew departed Tokyo on the Kainan ...

Nankyoku Tanken Inuzori-tai: Futari no Ainu no Hanashi [Antarctic Expedition Dog Sled Team: The Story of Two Ainu People]

Koide, Shōgo [text by].

Tōkyō: Fuzanbō, Shōwa 20 [1945]. First edition.

The story of the two Ainu men, Yayomanekuh (Yamabe Yasunosuke, 1867-1923) and Sisratoka (Hanamori Shinkichi, b. 1875/1876- year of death unknown), who travelled as ...

Nankyoku Tanken Jitsuroku [True Record of the Antarctic Expedition]

Tada, Keiichi [text by].

Tōkyō: Kainan Shuppan Kyōkai, Shōwa 31 [1956]. First edition.

A record of Japan's first Antarctic expedition (1910-1912) by the expedition's secretary and, later, assistant naturalist Tada Keiichi (1883-1959), following earlier works including his personal, ...

Nankyoku Tanken Shiroku [A Personal Account of the Antarctic Expedition]

Tada, Keiichi [text by].

Tōkyō: Keiseisha, Taishō Gannen [1912]. Fourth edition.

A personal, unauthorised, account of Japan's first Antarctic expedition (1910 1912) by the expedition's secretary and, later, assistant naturalist Tada Keiichi (1883-1959). The work includes nine ...

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 ...

Sokuratesu ["Socrates"]

Saiki, Sensui [text by].

Tōkyō : Keibunkan, Taishō 4 [1915].

The opening of Japan to trade brought an influx of Western books and a Renaissance-like discovery of the works of classical Greek and Roman philosophers to Japan. This book, more of a biography than a translation of Socrates's oeuvre, was produced by Saiki Sensui (18 ...

Rangaku Kei ["A Path to Dutch Learning"]

Fujibayashi, Jundō [Fuzan] [text by].

[Japan: publisher unidentified, postscript dated Bunka 7 (1810)].

Believed to be a retitled edition of Yakken Hanrei Narabini Fugen (" ...

Kirishitan Kikigaki ["A Verbatim Account of the Christians"]

[Author and transcriber unidentified].

[Japan, ca. late Edo to early Meiji period (1850-70s)?]. Manuscript.

A collection of writings about the Jesuit presence in Japan in the 16th and early 17th centuries. The manuscript begins with a brief description of the arrival of Christians (Jesuits) in Ja ...

Hokujoryo kigen shōsho ["Origins of the northern pleasure district, abridged"]

Shōji [Nishida], Katsutomi [original text by].

[Japan, ca. Ganji period (1864-1865)?]. Manuscript.

An abridged manuscript version of Hokujoryo kigen - an edition of Ihon Dōbō Goen ("Sequel to A garden of words from the boudoir", 1733) with additions by poet Ishihara Toryū (or T ...

Ōsaka: [Yamakichi?], ca. early Meiji period (1870-90s)].

A set of three paper templates for cutting materials to make tabi socks or jika-tabi (shoe-like tabi), woodblock-printed with instructions. The templates have been sewn together and may have been sold as a set in this format.

Three templates, sewn together, with an accompanying hand-inscribed ...

Pītā Pan ["Peter Pan"]

Barrie, James Matthew [original text by]; Kikuchi, Kan, Akutagawa, Ryūnosuke [translated by]; Ichiki, Ton, Katō, Masao [illustrated by]. 

Tōkyō: Kōbunsha, Shōwa 4 [1929].

An early Japanese edition of Peter Pan, translated by two of the most acclaimed Japanese novelists of the twentieth century, Kikuchi Kan (1888-1948) and A ...

Pō Shishū ["A Collection of Poems by Poe"]

Poe, Edgar Allan [original text by]; Wakameda, Takeji [translated by].

Tōkyō : Etsuzandō , Taishō 12 [1923]. Third edition.

An early Japanese translation of poems by Edgar Allan Poe. The translator, Wakameda, also helped to produce a Japanese translation of The Merchant of Venice in 1913 and an English t ...

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 ...

Santō kokkei monzen ["A collection of Santō's comical writings"]

Seisei, Sanjin [Santō, Kyōden] [text by].

Tōto [Tōkyō]: Tōto Shorin: Bakanrō [blocks owned by], [preface dated Kansei 2 (1790)].

A parody by Santō Kyōden of Keiten Yoshi, a well-known textbook/commentary on the Four Books of classical Chinese philosophy for Japanese rea ...

Seiyō Bunkenroku ["Record of Things Seen and Heard about the West"]

Murata, Fumio [compiled by].

Hiroshima: Izutsuya Shōjirō, Meiji 2-4 [1869-1871].

A complete set of this illustrated record of the history, politics, society, government, geography, and customs of Britain. The compiler, Murata Fumio (1836-1891), is better known as Nomura Fumio, the journa ...

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 ...

Seiyō Tsurezuregusa ["A Western Tsurezuregusa"]

Murai, Chinushi, Ōhashi, Eizō [translated and edited by].

Tōkyō : Hokubunkan, Taishō 4 [1915].

A collection of English epigrams by four Western authors with parallel translations in Japanese. The authors featured are Sébastien-Roch Nicolas Chamfort (1741-1794), John Oliver Hobbes (Pearl Mary Teres ...

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 ...

[Set of four garments]

[Creator/s unknown].

[Japan, ca. Taishō to early Shōwa period (1920-40s)?].

A hanten (jacket), set of protective gear, and padded zukin hood with internal inkan (stamp/seal) motifs, possibly from the early twentieth century. The two garments pictured together (one of which appears to be a chest-plate) may have been used as (or togeth ...

Shamisen sekai no zu ["Illustration of the Shamisen World"]

[Utagawa], Yoshifuji [illustrated by].

[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. late Edo period (1860s)?].

This aizuri-e (indigo-printed illustration) designed by Yoshifuji (1828-1887), a pupil of Kuniyoshi, shows an oiran viewing a globe of the Shamisen Sekai ("Shamisen World"). Each country or provin ...

Shichifukujin ["Seven Lucky Gods"]

Kiyama, Shōzan [produced by].

[Japan: Kiyama Shōzan, ca. Taishō to early Shōwa period (1920-30s)?].

A set of seven woodblock-printed match labels featuring the Seven Lucky Gods - Ebisu, Daikokuten, Benzaiten, Bishamonten, Hotei, Fukurokuju, and Jurōjin. The text on each card records the name Kiyama - the individual who pr ...

Shin'an Ishō Chikosakura ["Chigozakura: New Designs"]

Tanaka, Jihē [edited by].

Kyōto: Tanaka Jihē, Meiji 23 [1890].

Volume one, believed to be all published, of this little-known album of creative designs for embroidery, brush cases, vases, inkstones, weights for hanging scrolls, and other objects. The preface notes that the work was published to s ...

Shinpan Kuchikara Dehaudai Oshiegusa [Teachings on Whatever Comes to Mind, Newly Produced]

Hyakunokuchi, [Nukemaru?] [edited by]. 

Kyōto: Akitaya Tōroku, [ca. Tenpo period (1830-1845)?].

A comical print recording a wave of unsolicited advice ("teachings") on men and women from a rambling author, pictured yawning on the right. In the lower section of t ...

Shirase Chūi Tanken-ki [An Account of Lieutenant Shirase's Expeditions]

Taniguchi, Zenya, Kimura, Yoshimasa [text by].

Tōkyō: Daichisha, Shōwa 17 [1942]. First trade edition.

The first trade edition of Shirase's biography, published two years after the extremely scarce first edition. The authors, Taniguchi Zenya (1916-2011) and Kimura Yoshimasa ...

Shiroto Jōjuri Shikata Mitate: Chūshingura Nanatsume Monku ["Methods of Jōjuri Amateurs: Seven Phrases from The Treasury of Loyal Retainers"]

[Creator unidentified].

Teramachi, [Kyōto]: Kashiwaya Sōshichi, [ca. late Edo period (1830-40s)?].

A woodblock-printed sheet of words and phrases, often humorous, used by amateur players in jōjuri (puppet) theatre. ...

Shochū O-utagai ["Summer Greetings"]

Oda, [Hidekazu] [produced by].

[Tōkyō]: Oda [Hidekazu], Shōwa 8 [1933].

A set of twelve woodblock-printed matchbox-sized cards featuring fans illustrated with summer flowers. The text on each card records the name Oda - the individual who produced the set for an unidentified group of matchbox card enthusiasts. Oda' ...

Shoshoku jinbutsu gafu ["Album of people of various professions"]

[Ichijusai, Kishun (edited and partially illustrated by); Kawamura, Bunpō, Kitao, Masayoshi [Kuwagata, Keisai] (illustrated by)].

Nagoya: Kajita Gensuke, [ca. early Taishō period (1914?)].

A Taishō period printing of an Ansei era work that compiles simple illustrations of birds, flowers, chi ...

Shozōki ["Miscellaneous notes"]

[Author unidentified].

[Japan, ca. Meiji period (1880-1900s?)]. Manuscript.

A manuscript on an array of topics, featuring what appears to be the inclusion of illustrations of several books used for reference by the compiler. A work of bibliographical interest needing deciphering.

One manuscript volume, ...

Shukka Hōkoku ["Shipping Report"]

[Tomimura Naokichi Shōten (commissioned by)].

Tōkyō: Tomimura Naokichi Shōten, [ca. Meiji period (1870-90s?)].

A woodblock used at the Nihonbashi-based firm Tomimura Naokichi Shōten to print shipping forms. Although illegible, the item being sent (possibly a gathering of fabric) must have been shipped often by the compa ...

"山水略画式"

[Kuwagata], Keisai [Kitao, Masayoshi; Keisai, Masayoshi] [illustrated by].

Naniwa, [Ōsaka]: Fukusada Tōhē, Bunka 10 [1813].

A Fukusada edition of Keisai's "guide to drawing landscapes simply". Keisai Masayoshi (1764-1824), who also worked under the names of Kitao Masayoshi and Kuwagata Keisai, provides a range of half-, single-, and double- ...

Taiyō Shinwa: Tako no Nyūdō Uo Sekkyō ["The Bald Octopus's Sermon to the Fish: A New Story from the Ocean"]

Kanagaki, Robun [text by]; Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [illustrated by]. 

[Tōkyō]: Zonseikaku ... [et al.], [preface dated Meiji 5 (1872)]. 

In this apologue by Robun, who was the son of a fishmonger, the Dragon King hears of social refo ...

"武村式安全搾乳・哺乳兼用器"

Ōsaka: Takemura Shōkai, [ca. late Meiji period (1890-1910s?)].

An advertisement for breast-pumps made by Ōsaka-based company Takemura Shōkai, featuring a photograph of a woman using the device.

One card, photograph tipped-in. Mild foxing, corners lightly bumped, small tear to photo. 19.5 x 13.3 cm.

Tennen Hyakkaku ["Tennen's Hundred Cranes"]

Kaigai, Tennen [illustrated by].

Kyōto: Yamada Unsōdō, Meiji 34 [1901].

The third and last volume of Kaigai Tennen's Tennen Hyakkaku, featuring twenty woodblock-printed illustrations of cranes in various styles. The illustrations feature the use of metallic pigments and printing techniques including kira ...

Tsutamoyō Chizome no Goshuin ["The Ivy-Patterned Blood-Stained Seal"]

[Kawatake, Shinshichi III (original play by)].

Shintomi-machi, [Tōkyō]: Shintomiza, Taishō 3 [1914].

A shibai banzuke playbill for a performance of the nanshokuthemed kabuki play Tsutamoyō Chizome no Goshuin at the Shintomi-za theatre, Tōkyō, at 3 p.m. on October 8, 1914. Four vignette ...

[Japan: workshop unidentified, ca. mid to late Meiji period (1880-1910s)].

A charming set of plates featuring scroll, tanzaku, and traditional wahon designs. The image of Mt. Fuji in the wahon illustration may have been inspired by works like Hokusai's Fugaku Hyakkei and Hiroshige's Fujimi Hyakuzu.

Three plates, with a few stains and ma ...

[Three illustrated envelopes]

[Ogawa, Usen (original designs by)].

[Kyōto]: Kineya: Kyō-tsukushiya, [ca. early to mid-Shōwa period (1930-40s)?].

Three woodblock-printed envelopes based on designs by Ogawa Usen (1868-1938). The leftmost illustration seems to depict a person dancing with a fan at night in front of a large statue of a religious or historical ...

Timetable: Royal Netherlands-Indian Airways, K.N.I.L.M.

[Statement of responsibility unidentified]; Ludberg [illustrated by]

Batavia: Royal Netherlands-Indian Airways, [1933]. 

A timetable of flights between Batavia, Bandoeng, Semarang, Sourabaja, Palembang, Pakanbaroe, Medan, Singapore, and Alorstar, produced by Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luch ...