An unidentified woodblock-printed book of moji-e

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[An unidentified woodblock-printed book of moji-e]

[Illustrator unidentified].

[Japan: publisher unidentified, ca. mid Edo period (1680-1780s)?].

An unidentified woodblock-printed book of seventeen moji-e ("character-pictures") featuring animals. The hiragana characters hidden in each illustration also appear next to each figure, providing the name of the animal or an idiom or proverb featuring the animal. The characters for the image of the bull, for example, read ushi ni hikarete Senkōji mairi ("pulled by a bull to visit Senkōji temple"), an idiom meaning "to be invited by others and unexpectedly led in the right direction". The first printed book of moji-e published is believed to have been Enkatei Giritsu's Moji-e-zukushi (1685). Enkatei's Moji-e-zukushi and Moji no ekagami (1686) are both remarkably similar stylistically to this book but feature people instead of animals. No title, colophon, or preface is present, however, and thus the work remains unidentified. As the prints have been tipped-in to a slightly later or perhaps contemporary binding, it also seems possible that they were originally published as single leaves. A scarce, perhaps unrecorded, collection of early animal-themed moji-e.

One four-hole-bound (yotsutoji) volume, on double leaves, traditional East Asian binding style (fukurotoji). Presumed non-original wrappers, worn and soiled, with ex-ownership inscriptions and losses. Occasional wormholes, stains, soiling, tears, hand-applied colour pigments, and small losses internally. Central creases to binding. Ex-ownership marks and drawings to some leaves. Fukurotoji opened in several places. [Seventeen sheets of printed images tipped-in to nine unnumbered leaves]. 25 x 16.5 cm.

An unidentified woodblock-printed book of moji-e
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