Untitled advertisement for Kyoryusha

US$1,680.00

ENQUIRE

BUY

[Untitled advertisement for Kyōryūsha]

Ryūtei, Tanehiko [text by]; [Nagai], Sogaku [calligraphy by]; [Ogata], Gekkō, [Inano], Toshitsune, [Takimura], Hirokata [illustrated by].

Tōkyō: Kyōryūsha, Meiji 18 [1885]. 

A colour woodblock-printed advertisement for the Tokyo publisher Kyōryūsha, with text by acclaimed author Ryūtei Tanehiko and illustrations by Ogata Gekkō, Inano Toshitsune, and Takimura Hirokata. The text opens with a vivid account of an extravagant celebration supposedly held to mark the firm's first anniversary. The festivities unfold across two venues — the Ibumurarō banquet hall in Asakusa and the Nakamurarō — and feature an array of luxurious food, drink, entertainments, and performances, including brandy, ice cream, a newly choreographed work by Kawatake Mokuami, and the attendance of women from renowned teahouses. In the second half of the text, however, Tanehiko reveals that this lavish programme existed only in the imagination of a Kyōryūsha employee who had approached him for assistance with the anniversary celebrations. Unaware of the nation's economic difficulties caused by recent flooding, the employee had envisioned a grand public display of the firm's prosperity. Tanehiko recounts advising against such an event, arguing that ostentatious festivities would be inappropriate under the circumstances. The elaborate celebration described in the opening text is therefore revealed to be a hypothetical one: an imagined anniversary party rather than an actual event. The result is a highly inventive advertisement that promotes the publisher through a detailed fictional narrative, inviting readers to imagine themselves participating in the festivities. The publication also reflects the close relationship between Kyōryūsha and the contributors, all of whom collaborated with the firm on numerous books and illustrated works.

One loose leaf, woodblock-printed on one side, complete. Leaf a little browned and foxed, with several light folds. Minor stains to extremities. 17.7 x 51.1 cm.

Untitled advertisement for Kyoryusha
Price: $1,680.00 (USD)