A counting song on a military campaign

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Goshinpatsu Hitotsutose-bushi ["Military Departure: A Hitotsutose Song"]

[Author/s unidentified].

[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. late Meiji period (1890-1910s?)].

A hitotsutose counting song in twenty verses on a military campaign, possibly printed around the time of the First Sino-Japanese War or the Russo-Japanese War. Hitotsutose was a type of kazoe-uta counting poem popular from the Meiji to early Shōwa period. The verses here play on the names of regions of Japan, which are 'highlighted' in black and appended with kokudaka land values. A repeated katakana kakegoe (short chorus-like chant) appears below each verse. Prints such as these show elements of both kazoe-uta booklets and banzuke; they could easily be folded into booklets and bound, displayed as-is, or rolled into scrolls. These two issues have been lightly folded into booklets.

Two issues, complete, in two loose leaves. Light wear and creases. Very small loss to upper margin of second issue. Each issue measures 15.5 x 40.6 cm.

A counting song on a military campaign
Price: $305.00 (USD)