[Rarebooks] [Picture Book of Famous places in Kyoto] Miyako Meisho Gafu. COLOR WOODBLOCK

[Laderman]

Miyako Meisho Gafu [Picture Book of Famous places in Kyoto] vol.jyo 
vol.ge[upper, lower or 1 and 2], complete. Published in Osaka Meiji 
27 [1894], with a later reissue in Kyoto. Painters include; Soken, 
Okyo, Ganku, Gyokusho, Bunrin, Soseki, Mannen, Bairei,  Keinen, 
Toyohiko, Mitsubumi, Shonen, Gyokusen, Hobun, Sobun, Gyokusen, 
Gessai, Obun, Kano Eigaku, Zaisho, Chikudo, Tatehiko, Hoen, Yubi and 
others. etc.  of the Shijo, Maruyama and Nanga schools. No date; but 
1890s -1910. Color woodblock print illustrations are 102 pages in two 
volumes. Thick high-quality WASHI rice papers. Excellent color and 
impression. The blocks are strongly p[rinted and not worn. Mitchell: 
"This is an adaptation of blocks earlier used for Tama Hiroi (1861) 
and Yamashiro Meisho Fugetsu Shu (1885). The haiku poems and titles 
were deleted from the blocks; the sheets were renumbered and various 
other block changes were made; and several new designs were added." 
This copy has a title page with an unread seal, and no colophon. It 
might be similar to Mitchell's own copy and represent an Unsodo 
printing. The book lacks title slips, with the title written in 
calligraphy on each front board. The contents are in lovely 
condition. The empty space where there was once a poem and title is 
actually quite beautiful. The quality of the landscapes is very high, 
and their accommodation to woodcut is excellent. This is one of the 
finest of the late anthologies. As of Mitchell's publication of his 
catalog, there were no copies of any issue outside of Japan. Based on 
Mitchell's copy, this might have been printed in the late 19th or 
early twentieth century. He believed his to be a 20th century 
printing of either Mieji or Taisho. Mitchell Page 420-421;  At 
OCLC:  The LC [1894, Kyoto and Osaka]; Yale has volume 1 only [1886, 
Kyoto] and one further copy is noted of an 1893, Unsodo  edition, and 
of course the Mitchell copy is in NYPL. There is a title page to 
volume 1 only. The boards show wear to their edges. There is no 
worming or staining to the pages or boards. There is a small 
collector's label in Japanese on the upper inner corner of both front 
boards. It is very worn and not fully legible. There are no other 
signs of provenance. $2250.00

ZITA BOOKS / NEW YORK, N.Y. / G. LADERMAN
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