A large woodblock used for printing medical advertisements

US$580.00

ENQUIRE

BUY

[A large woodblock used for printing medical advertisements]

[Creator unidentified].

Mino-no-kuni [Gifu]: [manufacturer unidentified, ca. late Edo period (18th to mid-19th century)?].

A large woodblock used around the late Edo period for printing advertisements for taidoku medicine. Taidoku (literally "inherent poison" (i.e. a disease believed to have been inherited by a baby in the womb from its mother)) has variously been translated into English as congenital eczema, foetal or uterine poison, and even congenital syphilis. The accompanying text on the woodblock gives the place of manufacture (Mino-no-kuni, current day Gifu Prefecture) and instructions that seem to suggest that the user will be cured if the medicine is put on the nape of their neck. Several parts of the woodblock have been carved out, some replaced by newly cut pieces of wood (umeki). This often happened when printing blocks were sold to a different distributor or publisher and pieces of information needed to be updated, but it was too costly to have the whole woodblock re-carved.

One woodblock, carved on both sides. Some chips, scrapes, and a few small wormholes. Two small cracks to carved frame. 55 x 23.5 cm.

A large woodblock used for printing medical advertisements
Price: $580.00 (USD)