A fan-painting attributed to Kyōsai

A hand-painted illustration signed by Kyosai

[An untitled hand-painted illustration attributed to Kyosai]

Seisei [Kawanabe], Kyōsai [signed by].

[Japan, ca. mid Meiji period (1870-80s)?]. Hand-painted on paper.

 

A delicately hand-painted illustration attributed to Kyōsai. The scene, possibly alluding to setsubun, is comical, with one figure seemingly mistaking an oni mask resting on the bottom of a sl ...

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Ranjin tokoromi gachirin shinzu [True image of the moon, as observed by the Dutch]

A magnified view of the moon, complete with ships

Ranjin Tokoromi Gachirin Shinzu ["True Image of the Moon, as Observed by the Dutch"]

[Creator unidentified].

[Japan, ca. mid to late Edo period (18th century to early 19th century)]. Manuscript on paper, mounted on fabric scroll.

 

A fanciful rendering of the face of the moon, complete with Western ships and explanatory text purporting that 'Westerners&# ...

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A public notice prohibiting Christianity

A third type decree banning Christianity, issued by the Meiji government

[A "third type" decree banning Christianity, issued by the Meiji government]

[Japan]: Daijō-kan, Keiō 4 [1868]. Wooden placard.

 

In Keiō 4 (1868), the first year of Meiji, the newly formed Meiji government issued five official decrees or notices (the Gobō no Keiji) to be displayed on wooden placards across Japan. The third decree enforced a strict prohibition of Ki ...

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In working condition

An Edo period fortune lottery (omikuji) box

[An Edo period omikuji box]

[Creator unidentified].

[Japan: workshop unidentified, ca. mid to late Edo period (1700-1850s?)].

 

A lacquer box used for omikuji fortune telling, hand-crafted in the Edo period. Omikuji boxes, typically used at temples and shrines, contain bamboo strips, each of which is captioned by hand with a different 'level' of luck ...

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Patterned with floral devices, ca. mid-Meiji period (1870-1900s)

An Imari dish featuring book designs

[Japan: workshop unidentified, ca. mid-Meiji period (1870-1900s)].

 

An opulent serving dish patterned with floral devices and book motifs. An apocryphal Chinese 'Chenghua' mark reading Daimin Seika nen sei (“made during the Chenghua reign of the Great Ming Dynasty”) adorns the base. This mark was used on Chinese ceramics and employed by Edo era Japanese ...

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From the Shōwa period

An obi featuring ornate book wrappers

[Untitled obi]

[(Japan?): maker unidentified, ca. Shōwa period (20th century)].

 

A Shōwa period obi featuring multiple gold and silver book wrappers with elaborate patterns.

 

One obi. Light blue-grey underside. Approximately 434 x 31 cm.

...

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An Illustrated Scroll of Bugaku Imperial Court Dances, Delicately Coloured

Bugaku Zukan

[Ca. late Edo period (early to mid-1800s)]. Manuscript. 

 

“Alongside the closely-allied music practice of gagaku, the establishment of the bugaku tradition during the Nara (710-794) and Heian (794-1185) periods reflected a growing interest in cultural and religious practices outside Japan and became part of the Japanese imperial court's broad ...

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A manuscript of okunizome designs

Emon: okunizome (Patterns for okunizome dyeing)

Emon: okunizome ["Patterns for okunizome dyeing"]

[Iwao, Joshun (illustrated by)?]. 

[Japan, ca. late Meiji period to early Shōwa period (1880-1920s)?]. Manuscript.

 

A manuscript of forty designs (including 23 in colour) for okunizome textile dyeing. Okunizome, later referred to as Kaga yūzen or Kaga okunizome, was a dyeing technique predominantly use ...

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A hand-drawn album of political caricatures

Giga hichō (Secret notebook of caricatures)

Giga hichō ["Secret notebook of caricatures"]

Kimonoashi [preface (and illustrations?) by]. 

[Japan, preface dated Shōwa 7 (1932)]. Manuscript.

 

An album of twenty caricatures in pen and ink by an unidentified artist. The work includes a three-leaf preface dated Shōwa 7 (1932) in which political problems in Manchuria are described and the importance of ...

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A manuscript album of designs for inrō and other objects

Hand-painted inrō designs

[A manuscript album of designs for inrō and other objects]

[Artist unidentified].

[Japan, ca. late Edo period (1830-50s?)]. Manuscript.

 

A collection of over ninety delicately hand-painted designs for inrō (small containers for tobacco and medicine hung on the belt), menuki (metal fittings for sword hilts), tsuba (hand guards for swords), and other metal, i ...

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An album of hand-painted illustrations by various artists

Hicchō-jō (An album of spontaneous brushstrokes)

Hicchō-jō ["An album of spontaneous brushstrokes"]

Yamamoto, Gyōhō, Kobayashi, Eikō ... [et al.] [illustrated by].

[Japan, ca. late Meiji period (1907?)]. Manuscript.

 

An album of paintings and calligraphic works by ten artists and calligraphers. The volume includes calligraphy by Nakane Hanrei (1831-1914), Nagasaka Sekitai (1845-1924), and Yoshida Banka (d ...

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A hand-painted album of landscapes and people

Hōkyū gafu (Hōkyū's sketchbook)

Hōkyū gafu ["Hōkyū's sketchbook"]

Hōkyū, Gakei [illustrated by]; Kakumei, [Takeuchi?] [preface by]. 

[Japan, preface dated Mizunotoushi (Kaei 6 (1853) or Taishō 2 (1913))]. Manuscript.

 

A hand-painted album of nanga-style illustrations by Hōkyū (or Kataoka) Gakei, about whom no information was traced online. The album contains 16 double-page and 3 ...

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A manuscript of creative seal designs

Inpu (Book of seals)

Inpu ["Book of seals"]

[Artist illegible].

[Japan, Meiji 23-24 (1890-91)]. Manuscript.

 

A manuscript of over one hundred tippedin designs for company and product label seals. The first 48 illustrations are for basic designs, probably to be shown to customers as a catalogue. The designs that follow feature the names of stores and products (such as souvenirs ...

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Illustrated by Zeshin, with calligraphy by Katsu Kaishū

Meika shoga shunjū-jō (Spring and autumn album of calligraphy and illustrations by the masters)

[Meika shoga shunjū-jō ("Spring and autumn album of calligraphy and illustrations by the masters")]

[Shibata], Zeshin ... [et al.] [illustrated by]; Saigō, Takamori ... [et al.] [calligraphy by].

Tōkyō: Fukuendō, Meiji 13 [1880].

 

A volume of alternating double-page spreads of woodblock-printed calligraphy by eminent political figures and double-p ...

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An album of woodblock-printed literati paintings and calligraphy

Shogachō (Album of calligraphy and illustrations)

Shogachō ["Album of calligraphy and illustrations"]

Taki, Katei ... [et al.] [illustrated by]; Yamaoka, Tesshū ... [et al.] [calligraphy by].

Tōkyō: Asano Eizō, Meiji 11 [1878].

 

A volume of eight woodblock-printed bunjin-ga style illustrations of landscapes, animals, and flowers interleaved with eight double-page spreads of woodblock-printed calligraphy. ...

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