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Edo Period [1603-1853] Bakumatsu Period [1853-1868] Meiji Period [1868-1912] Taishō Period [1912-1926] Shōwa Period [1926-1989]
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Untitled folding object
[Untitled folding object]
[Creator unidentified].
[Japan, ca. Meiji period (1870-1910s?)].
An unusual folding object with small opening pockets or compartments, constructed from a colour woodblock-printed omocha-e toy print. Genjikō (Genji Incense) patterns appear on the inner panels of the object and on the eri collar of the elegant woman adorning the fro ...
Untitled painting of a monkey
[Untitled painting of a monkey]
[Artist unidentified].
[Japan, ca. Taishō to early Shōwa period (1920-40s)?]. In manuscript.
A tanzaku-sized painting on silk of a monkey in a human-like stance, mounted as a hanging scroll. The painting is signed 栖鳳 ("Seihō") in the upper left. While this suggests that the painter was acclaimed artist Takeuchi Seihō (1864 ...
Untitled surimono
[Untitled surimono]
[Artist unidentified].
[Japan, ca. Meiji period (1870-1900s)?].
A small, spring-themed surimono featuring three poems and an illustration by an unidentifiable artist. One of the poems refers to spring and another to the melting ice on a frozen-over well. These may provide clues as to the theme of the illustration, which seems to show on ...
Miyako Odori (The Miyako Dance)
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 ...
Bojutsu Yumemonogatari (Dream Story of 1838)
Bojutsu Yumemonogatari ["Dream Story of 1838"]
Takano, Chōei [work by]; [Takizawa (copied by)?].
[Japan, ca. late Edo period (1840-60s?)].
In Tenpō 8 (1837), the American trading ship the Morrison, captained by Charles King, was met with cannon fire upon its arrival in Japan. Japan was still officially closed to other countries in the 1830s, so this w ...
Eshi Zōshi (The Story of a Painter)
Eshi Zōshi ["The Story of a Painter"]
[Creator unidentified].
Edo [Tōkyō]: Nakaya Tokubē [distributed by], [ca. Kaei period (1849)?].
A printed edition of the story of a poor painter, based on a medieval picture scroll. The original scroll is currently housed by the Museum of the Imperial Collections in Tokyo and was once believed to have been paint ...
Collection of set designs
[Collection of 39 set designs]
[Oda, Otoya ... (et al.) (illustrated by)?].
[Japan, ca. early to mid-Shōwa period (1930-70s)?]. In manuscript.
A collection of 39 set designs for performances of Japanese plays, painted in watercolours on high-quality art paper. The stage designer Oda Otoya (1921-2006) may have been responsible for the majority of the illust ...
[Untitled painting of a woman daydreaming]
[Untitled painting of a woman daydreaming]
Hatori, Kozan [painted by].
[Japan, ca. Taishō to early Shōwa period (1910-30s)?]. In manuscript.
A large (176 x 108.5 cm) painting of an exhausted woman daydreaming of a rough sea voyage as a butterfly flutters around her head. The artist, Hatori Kozan (1891-), studied under Kajita Hanko (1870-1917) a ...
The Ten Bulls
The Ten Bulls
Matsumura, K. [Kaiseki] [compiled by]; Wadagaki, K. [Kenzō] [translated by]; Saito, Shoshyu [Saitō, Shōshū] [illustrated by]; Okura, H. [Hanbē] [blocks cut by]; Nishimura, K. [Kumakichi] [hand-printed by].
Tōkyō: Sakura-Shobo, Taishō 3 [1914].
A delightful little book of Zen poems with skilfully woodblock-printed illustrati ...
Amijima Shinjū: Koharu Jihē [The Love Suicide at Amijima: Koharu and Jihē]
Amijima Shinjū: Koharu Jihē ["The Love Suicide at Amijima: Koharu and Jihē"]
Shōrin, Hakuchi [performed by]; Namiue, Gisa[burō] [transcribed by]; Suzuki, Anjirō [edited by]; Toyohara, Kunichika [illustrated by].
Tōkyō: Yamato Shinbunsha, Meiji 30 [1897].
A complete transcription in four issues of a performance by professional storyteller Shōrin Hakuchi (1 ...
Jurin Shomoku [Catalogue of Works from the Ranks of Confucian Scholars]
Jurin Shomoku ["Catalogue of Works from the Ranks of Confucian Scholars"]
[Compiler unidentified].
[Japan, ca. Meiji to Taishō period (1880-1910s)?]. In manuscript.
A manuscript catalogue listing texts composed or edited by Japanese Confucian and Neo-Confucian philosophers including but not limited to Hayashi Razan (Dōshun, 1583-1657), Hayashi Gahō ( ...
Over 290 chiyogami samples from the Edo to Shōwa periods
Chiyogami Monyō Hyakushu: Shiki Banshō [“One Hundred Types of Chiyogami Patterns: All Four Seasons”]
Yoshimoto, Kanon [edited by].
Kyōto: Shūkōsha, Shōwa 47 [1972].
An album of over 290 tipped-in examples of woodblock-printed and stencil-printed papers from the Edo to Shōwa periods. The majority of the papers are chiyogami, but examples ...
Imayō Mitate Hori Suri Ryōkō no Zu [A Modern-day Adaptation Picturing Carving and Printing]
Imayō Mitate Hori Suri Ryōkō no Zu ["A Modern-day Adaptation Picturing Carving and Printing"]
Utagawa, Kunisada [Toyokuni III] [illustrated by].
[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. Taishō period (1910-20s)?].
A simplified Taishō-era (?) reproduction of the triptych Imayō Mitate Shi-Nō-Kō-Shō: Shokunin ("A Modern-day Adaptation of the Four Classe ...
Kyōka Momochidori [A Flock of Kyōka Poems]
[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 ...
Keisei Koi Samisen: Yūkiri Izaemon [A Courtesan's Shamisen of Love: Yūkiri and Izaemon]
Keisei Koi Samisen: Yūkiri Izaemon ["A Courtesan's Shamisen of Love: Yūkiri and Izaemon"]
[Bokusentei], Yukimaro [text by]; [Keisai], Eisen [illustrated by].
Edo [Tōkyō]: Maruya Jinpachi, Bunsei 10 [1827].
A gōkan illustrated by Eisen recounting a lovers' feud between the courtesan Yūkiri and her handsome but destitute customer Fujiya Izaemon. Y ...
Shimeizukushi Sugoroku [A Game Board of Various Papers]
Shimeizukushi Sugoroku ["A Game Board of Various Papers"]
[Creator unidentified].
[Tōkyō]: Isetatsu, [ca. early to mid Shōwa period (1930-50s)?].
A Shōwa period edition of this illustrated game about papermaking and Japanese paper types. The original edition is thought to have been produced between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Each panel depicts ...
Namamugi Jiken no Tenmatsu: Machibure Ikken no Utsushi [Copy of the Official Notices on the Details of the Namamugi Incident]
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 ...
Tsuru no Chitose: Soga no Kadomatsu [Thousand Years of the Crane: Kadomatsu of Soga]
Tsuru no Chitose: Soga no Kadomatsu ["Thousand Years of the Crane: Kadomatsu of Soga"]
Katsu, Genzō, Takeshiba, Tōji [text by]; Kawatake, Kisui [concept by]; Utagawa, Kunisada [illustrated by].
[Edo (Tōkyō)]: Kōeidō, Genji 2 [1865].
A gōkan on the story of the dangerous but chivalrous man Nozarashi Kosuke, illustrated by Kunisada. The original story, insp ...
A scroll of examples of Rai San'yō seals
[A forged scroll of examples of Rai San'yō seals]
[Artist unidentified].
[Japan, ca. late Edo to early Shōwa period (1860-1920s?)]. In manuscript with seal impressions.
A scroll featuring a painted gourd hand stamped with fifty examples of seals of various names used by the Nanga School artist and Confucianist philosopher Rai San'yō (1780-1832). Th ...
Three scrolls, featuring Jurōjin and cranes
[Three scrolls, featuring Jurōjin and cranes]
[Illustrator unidentified].
[Japan, ca. late Edo period (1800-1830s?)]. In manuscript.
A triptych featuring Jurōjin, the God of Longevity and one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, and cranes with bamboo (left) and pine branches (right). The presence of the cranes, which according to Japanese mythology may liv ...
Two untitled scrolls signed Yamamoto Shōun
[Two untitled scrolls signed "Yamamoto Shōun"]
[Yamamoto], Shōun [signed by].
[Japan, ca. Meiji period (1890-1930s?)]. In manuscript.
A set of two (unrelated) scrolls signed Shōun 昇雲. One scroll features two scenes from the traditional Japanese fairytale "The Tongue-Cut Sparrow". The scene at the top of the scroll shows the sparrows' inn, the lower th ...
Seiro Kinen (Commemoration of the Attack on Russia)
Seiro Kinen ["Commemoration of the Attack on Russia"]
[Hamada], Josen [signed by].
[Japan, ca. 1904-1905]. In manuscript.
A political scene featuring the traditional Japanese fairytale characters Momotaro ("Peach Boy") and friends (a dog, monkey, and pheasant) storming into battle against Russian soldiers. The scroll was probably painted during or shortly ...
The Demon Queller Shōki, with Two Quelled Demons
[The "Demon Queller" Shōki, with Two Quelled Demons]
Sōsai [Tomioka], Eisen [signed by].
[Japan, ca. Meiji period (1880-1890s?)]. In manuscript.
An expressive painting of Shōki (Zhong Kui), "the Demon Queller", accompanied by two house-broken demons. Shōki has sheathed his famous sword. One demon seems to carry a box, the other two rolls of paper (?). The ...
Untitled set of scrolls featuring a dragon and a tiger
[Untitled set of scrolls featuring a dragon and a tiger]
Shōseki, Sanjin [Kose, Shōseki] [signed by].
[Japan, ca. Meiji period (1870-1910s?)]. In manuscript.
A dynamic rendering of a traditional tiger and dragon pairing. The tiger crouches on rocks surrounding a river while the dragon flies above tumultuous waves through menacing clouds. Just as the body o ...
Untitled print
[Untitled print]
Hisashi [illustrated by].
[Japan, ca. late Taishō to early Shōwa period (1920-1930s)?].
A print - probably a halftone - featuring an elegant Japanese woman playing cards. She sports a modern hairstyle, ruby red lips, and an obi that sparkles with a silver pigment. The artist's name, Hisashi, is printed in the upper left corner.
Two albums of woodblock-printed ephemera
[Two albums of woodblock-printed ephemera]
[Illustrators unidentified].
[Tōkyō: Miyake Mokuhan Surisakuho, ca. mid-Shōwa period (1950s)].
Two albums of tipped-in ephemera, including menus, invitations, advertisements, and New Year's cards, woodblock printed for a range of Tokyo-based clients by the Miyake Woodblock Printing Store. Several prints provid ...
Three woodblocks
[Three woodblocks]
[Komatsuya (one block-face illustrated by)?].
[Japan: publishers unidentified, ca. Edo to Meiji period (1750-1910s)?].
A collection of three woodblocks used for printing in the Edo and Meiji periods. The earliest woodblock features an illustration on one side and part of another work on the other. The latter, evidently an earlier w ...
Treatise on Silk and Tea Culture and Other Asiatic Industries Adapted to the Soil and Climate of California
Treatise on Silk and Tea Culture and Other Asiatic Industries Adapted to the Soil and Climate of California
Kendo, T. A.
San Francisco: A. Roman & Co., 1870.
A detailed description of the processes of tea cultivation and sericulture by the Japanese immigrant T.A. Kendo. By mid-1869, "[s]everal hundred Japanese were reported settling with the intention ...
Collection of ephemera on female sumo wrestlers
[Collection of ephemera on female sumo wrestlers]
[Various creators].
[Japan, ca. Meiji to early Shōwa period (1880-1930s?)].
An archive relating to the activities of female sumo wrestlers in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Women were banned by the government from sumo wrestling in 1926 despite centuries of participating in the sport. The ban on wom ...
Shinmonku Yukari no Tsuki (The Moon of Affinity: New Lyrics)
Shinmonku Yukari no Tsuki ["The Moon of Affinity: New Lyrics"]
[Illustrator and author unidentified].
[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. Keiō 4 (1868)].
Kawaraban were woodblock-printed gossip and news sheets produced illicitly in the Edo period for the consumption of laypeople. Publishers who dared print kawaraban on political topics were at a particular ...
Kanadehon Chūshingura, Dai-Kudanme (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers: Act Nine)
Kanadehon Chūshingura, Dai-Kudanme ["The Treasury of Loyal Retainers: Act Nine"]
Kōchōrō [Utagawa], Kunisada [illustrated by].
[Edo (Tōkyō)]: Yorozuya Kichibē, [ca. Edo period (1830-40s?)].
A scene from Act 9 of Kanadehon Chūshingura, one of Japan's most popular plays, illustrated by Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III, 1786–1864). The work seems ...
Nijūshikō: Meiji Shinkoku (The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars: Newly Engraved in the Meiji Period)
Nijūshikō: Meiji Shinkoku ["The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars: Newly Engraved in the Meiji Period"]
Komiyama, Gorō [edited by].
Nihonbashi, [Tōkyō]: Makino Sōjirō, Meiji 17 [1884].
A Confucian guide to ethics (especially filial piety) originally produced in the Yuan dynasty (1260–1368) by Guo Jujing, The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars experienced incr ...
Tagoto-hime, Jiraiya (Tagoto-hime and Jiraiya)
Tagoto-hime, Jiraiya ["Tagoto-hime and Jiraiya"]
[Utagawa], Toyokuni [III] [illustrated by].
[Edo (Tōkyō)]: Ebisuya, [1852].
A colourful depiction by Toyokuni III (Utagawa Kunisada) of Jiraiya (probably played by Ichikawa Danjuro VIII) and Princess Tagoto (probably Iwai Kumesaburo III) from the play Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari. The pattern on Princess Tagot ...
Udaijin Michizane Kō (Minister of the Right, Michizane)
Udaijin Michizane Kō ["Minister of the Right, Michizane"]
[Utagawa], Toyokuni [III] [illustrated by].
[Edo (Tōkyō)]: Jōshūya [Shigeshichi], [1860].
A beautiful impression of this portrait by Toyokuni III (Utagawa Kunisada) of Kataoka Nizaemon as Sugawara no Michizane in the play Tenmangū Rishō no Kamimagaki. The pattern on the coat features stunnin ...
Jiyū no Kotowari (On Liberty)
Jiyū no Kotowari ["The Logic of Liberty"] = On Liberty
Mill, John Stuart [original text by]; Nakamura, Keitarō [Masanao] [translated by]; E.W.C. [Clark, Edward Warren] [preface by].
Suruga, Shizuoka: Kihira Ken'ichirō, Meiji Mizunoesaru [1872].
The first full Japanese translation of John Stuart Mill's On Liberty (originally published in London in ...
Untitled omocha-e woodblock print
[Untitled omocha-e woodblock print]
[Artist unidentified].
[Japan]: Monbushō Seihonjo, [ca. early Meiji period (1870-1880s)].
An early Meiji "cut-out-and-play" style omocha-e (toy print) featuring a foreign woman and three children, an outfit for each, and an array of accessories. The figures reflect the fascination with Western clothes that followed the o ...
Wayō Jikon Burui (Classes of Mixed Japanese and Western Characters)
Wayō Jikon Burui ["Classes of Mixed Japanese and Western Characters"]
Miki, Kōsai [illustrated by].
Tōkyō: Hōzandō, Meiji Mizunoesaru [1872].
An illustrated encyclopedia in kanji and romanised Japanese, with definitions in mixed kana and kanji. The volume was compiled and presumably illustrated by Miki Kōsai (1830-1884), also known as Utagawa Yoshimori I. Books, fu ...
Yamakawa Furiwake Sugoroku (A Game Sheet of Mountains and Rivers Divided)
Yamakawa Furiwake Sugoroku ["A Game Sheet of Mountains and Rivers Divided"]
Ichiyōsai [Utagawa], Toyokuni [III] [illustrated by].
Akasaka, [Edo (Tōkyō)]: Iseya Kanekichi, [Kōka 4 (1847) - Kaei 5 (1852)].
A scarce multi-ōban sugoroku game sheet by Utagawa Toyokuni III (Utagawa Kunisada) based on scenes from folktales located at mountains or rivers. The squa ...
Mahometto-den (A Biography of Muhammad)
Mahometto-den ["A Biography of Muhammad"]
[Prideaux, Humphrey (original text by)]; Hayashi, Tadasu [translated by].
Tōkyō: Higashi Kan'ichi, Meiji 9 [1876].
The first biography of the Prophet Muhammad published in Japanese. The translator, diplomat Hayashi Tadasu (1850-1913), studied at University College School and King's College London between 18 ...
Yowamushi Korokoro Goton Jūton no Zu (Roly-Poly Cowards: Pigs with Five Heads and Ten Bodies)
Yowamushi Korokoro Goton Jūton no Zu ["Roly-Poly Cowards: Pigs with Five Heads and Ten Bodies"]
Seirakusai [Ochiai], Yoshiiku [illustrated by].
[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. Meiji 28 (1895)].
A satirical giga print on the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) featuring, as the title suggests, interjoined Chinese soldiers with a total of ten bodies and five ...
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
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 ...
Manpō Eitai Shin-zassho: Nihon-zu-iri (New Miscellany of Countless Eternal Treasures, with a Map of Japan)
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 ...
Nihon Chimei-kagami (Mirror of the Names of Regions in Japan)
Nihon Chimei-kagami ["Mirror of the Names of Regions in Japan"]
[Shimizu], Yoshitamajo [illustrated by].
[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. late Edo period (1850-60s)?].
A list of place names in Japan, illustrated with seven double-page spreads of landscapes by Shimizu Yoshitamajo, also known as Utagawa Yoshitama (1836-1870). Yoshitamajo was a pupil of Ut ...
Oshiegusa Onna Daigaku Sakae Bunko (Lessons for Women: Library of Honour)
Oshiegusa Onna Daigaku Sakae Bunko ["Lessons for Women: Library of Honour"]
Shimizu, Yoshitamajo [illustrated by].
Edo [Tōkyō]: Eikyūdō, Kaei 4 [1851].
A manual of conduct for women, illustrated by Shimizu Yoshitamajo, also known as Utagawa Yoshitama (1836-1870). Yoshitama was a pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi and later became a pupil of Shibata Zeshin. Aside ...
Untitled sugoroku game
[Untitled sugoroku game]
[Illustrator unidentified].
[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. late Edo period (1800-1840s?)].
A sugoroku game sheet based on several contemporary plays including the jōruri (puppet) play Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki, which features as its protagonist the courtesan Akoya and was first staged in 1732, and one of the several iterations o ...
Untitled collection of photographs
[Untitled collection of photographs]
[Photographer unidentified].
[Japan, ca. Taishō to mid-Shōwa period (1920-30s)?].
A collection of beautiful and striking photographs of Japanese infrastructure and architecture by an unidentified photographer. The seven sepia and monochrome photographs of cranes, bridges, buildings, and ships, have each been mounted on ...
Baren
Baren
Yamada, Sadatoshi, Ōki, Reiko, Kobayashi, Yoshito, Tanaka, Michio ... [et al.] [illustrated by].
[Okayama: Okayama Bijutsu Dōkōkai Hanga Sākuru], 1959-[1961?].
Issues six, eight, nine, and twelve of Baren, an obscure magazine created by (and produced for) members of the Okayama Art Lovers' Printing Circle. Issue six features ten hand- ...
A kabuki-themed haikai surimono
[A kabuki-themed haikai surimono]
[Shibata], Zeshin [illustrated by].
[Japan: publisher unidentified, Meiji 14 [1881].
A surimono by acclaimed artist Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891) featuring poems by kabuki actors and illustrated with an actor surrounded by wigs. The surimono was produced to celebrate the name-change (shūmei) of the actor Sawamura Hyakunosuke ...
Tomonoura Harbour
Tomonoura Harbour
Yoshida, Hiroshi [illustrated by].
[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. 1985].
A later printing of Yoshida Hiroshi's 1930 Tomonoura Harbour, produced by his son Yoshida Toshi in commemoration of a catalogue of Hiroshi's works published around 1985. An interesting feature of this particular print is that the black outlines of the ke ...
Two untitled sketchbooks by an amateur artist
[Two untitled sketchbooks by an amateur artist]
Tanaka, Yūtai [illustrated by].
Ōsaka, Shōwa 11-15 [1936-1940]. In manuscript.
Two sketchbooks of stunning landscapes in pencil and watercolours by Tanaka Yūtai, an amateur Yōga (Western-style) artist. Most of the illustrations, which depict factories, ports, ships, people, and landscapes in and around Osak ...
| 1 - 50 of 20 : |
Classic Illustrated Books Modern Art and Design Books Translations of Western Texts Japanese Literature Prints and Ephemera Western Books Photo Books Paintings & Scrolls Australia & New Zealand Others
Australia New Zealand Antarctica Japan Korea China Other
Edo Period [1603-1853] Bakumatsu Period [1853-1868] Meiji Period [1868-1912] Taishō Period [1912-1926] Shōwa Period [1926-1989]
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