Hōkyū gafu (Hōkyū's sketchbook)

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 35 single-page scenes of people, buildings, trees, and landscapes, coloured in light hues and often in a ryakuga sketch style. The margins and hashira columns have been woodblock-printed. It seems that the work was never published, at least not under the title given on the mounted daisen panel. A beautifully executed gafu album painted in a playful yet understated nanga ("southern painting", also known as bunjinga ("literati painting")) style, by an unidentified but skilled artist. 

One four-hole-bound (yotsumetoji) volume, complete, on double leaves, traditional East Asian binding style (fukurotoji). Binding string cut in one place, textblock holding firm. Presumed original wrappers, with light scrapes, extremities a little faded. Original handwritten mounted daisen title panel, lightly stained. Occasional small marks to leaves. Three marginal notes. [1, 34 unnumbered leaves]. 23.1 x 16.1 cm.