ezooshi illustrated books

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. seihonshi 製本師　bookbinder .
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　
ezooshi 絵草子 / 絵草紙 Ezoshi, illustrated book or magazine
ezoushi, ezōshi

It is more than a "picture book" for children.



本屋は、浮世絵や戯作を出版する「絵草子屋」 ezooshiya store
and
漢文、学問、和歌の本などを出す「物の本屋」mono no honya for Chinese literature, science and waka poetry.
source :　www.lian.com/TANAKA

- quote
Ezoushi - Also written 絵双紙.
An illustrated booklet published during the Edo period.
These were short publications written in kana 仮名 and illustrated with pictures reporting contemporary events, in journalistic or fictional fashion, or sometimes a mixture of the two.

In a broader sense, various kinds of illustrated books such as *akahon 赤本, *aohon 青本, *kurohon 黒本, *kibyoushi 黄表紙, *goukan 合巻 and *eiri joururibon 絵入浄瑠璃本 are included in the category of ezoushi.

These books were published in great numbers during the Edo period, and the publishers, who were often also booksellers, were known as ezoushiya 絵草子屋 or jihon tonya 地本問屋 (wholesalers of jihon).
Jihon was a term used to distinguish the popular picture books and novelettes produced in Edo from similar books published elsewhere, or from books which were more difficult to read, such as scholarly works or classics.
- source : JAANUS

- quote
Ehon Azuma Asobi Ezoshi-dana 絵草紙店

This picture depicts the storefront of the 蔦屋耕書堂 Tsutaya Koshodo, a picture print shop.
At the entrance there is a sign with the name of 蔦屋重三郎 Tsutaya Juzaburo
and advertisements are also arrayed for a book written by 山東京伝 Santo Kyoden
and collections of 狂歌本 Kyoka (comic poems), while 錦絵 nishiki-e are laid in the interior of the store
and a samurai warrior in traveling garb is illustrated.
Pictures included in "Picture Book: Amusements of Edo" were originally painted as illustrations
in a sumi-e style (Japanese ink painting) for "Amusements of Edo",
which was a collection of Kyoka (comic poems) published by Tsutaya Juzaburo in 1799.
While Katsushika Hokusai, a painter of pictures for this book, is famous as an ukiyo-e (woodblock) artist,
he also produced a number of illustrated Kyoka books that were published by Tsutaya.
"Picture Book: Amusements of Edo" was produced as a book of color prints
that were extracted from the collection of Kyoka.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library

..............................................................................................................................................

. Karukaya 苅萱 Japan's First Illustrated Book .

..............................................................................................................................................

Very extensive reference



- quote
Jihon and Ezoshi
Two types of bookshop were prominent during the Edo period.
One was shomotsu-ya which dealt in books of scholarly and religious material. The other type of bookshop was kozōshiya which published and sold mainly books for entertainment such as ukiyo-e and illustrated books called ‘kusazōshi’.
In Edo, kozoshi-ya were also known as jihondon-ya (sellers and publishers of local books) and these-- contributed to the evolution and development of many narrative arts that represented both the lives and values of Edo residents.
- source : www.library.metro.tokyo.jp - index

Bookshops of Edo
Tsutaya Jūzaburō (1750 - 1797) was one of the most well-known heads of a jihondonya. He was involved in the publication of many book-genres and picture prints. These included Yoshiwara saiken (guidebooks of the licensed quarter), ehon (picture books), nishiki-e (colored wood-block prints), keiko-bon (collections of Japanese songs), and ōraimono (textbooks for children). He also enjoyed friendships with many persons of culture and high-education, whom he helped with the publication of their works.
- source : www.library.metro.tokyo.jp - page 1

Revival of Classical Literature in the Edo Period
The Bunka era (1804-1818) saw the rise of a particular style of literature called gōkan (compendia) that was popular in Edo.
- source : www.library.metro.tokyo.jp - page 2

Gathering of people in the ‘ren’ salon
Haikai (linked verses) was one of the most important literary genres of the Edo period.
kyōka and senryū
- source : www.library.metro.tokyo.jp - page 3

. saiken　細見 "detailed guide books" of Yoshiwara and Kabuki .

..............................................................................................................................................

- quote -
Azuma Nishiki-E 東錦絵　Nishiki-e from Tokyo
Edo-e 江戸絵 Edo prints


The Principle of Nishiki-e
Sustainability in Japan's Edo Period--300 Years Ago!
Japan in the Edo era had technologies to make it possible to mass-produce nishiki-e, plate prints in multicolor. Nishiki-e is one of the most original art forms created by the Japanese. Nishiki-e artwork was a creative commodity for the general public. It not only nurtured the Japanese people's sensitivity to art over the centuries, but also inspired French impressionists so much that its influence is still evident in today's visual art of the world.
It was rare in those days
to have a product where so much value was added into one piece of paper that was being mass produced. However, because the whole production process required only simple materials--paper and board and painting tools--the energy consumption did not rise above the levels of solar energy obtained during the preceding few years.
We call this ability to rapidly create great value while best meeting consumer needs with only limited resources, the "Nishiki-e Principle". It is for certain this principle was the basis for leading a better-quality life while only using scarce solar energy resources.
All nishiki-e materials, except for the blades of the woodblock carving knives, were made from sustainable botanical resources. Other than the simple materials, only the detailed work of human hands is required. The Japanese paper used for Nishiki-e were made from young branches of paper mulberry matured in the preceding year or two at the most. Woodblocks were mainly made from cherry wood and craftsman fully utilized this resource, by using both sides of woodblock boards. Except in the case where one whole side was one color, one woodblock would be carved for several colors. It was typical to use only five woodblocks to print a nishiki-e in ten colors. More interestingly, professional craftsmen were hired specifically to shave used woodblock boards flat so that they could be reused over and over.
Since the technology of nishiki-e had made it possible
to print complex colors and figures easily, nishiki-e became a popular local product of the Edo town, being also called "azuma-nishiki-e" or simply, "edo-e." As many nishiki-e shops were built in several parts of Edo town in the early 19th century, the nishiki-e price fell down to an affordable 16 or 32 mon, often found in children's pocket money. ("Mon" is a monetary unit of the Edo Period. Sixteen mon is about U.S.$3-6.)
Just like today's children
collect their favorite character goods, it appears that their Japanese counterparts in the Edo era bought woodcut prints produced by their favorite artists such as Toyokuni or Kunisada (popular nishiki-e artists of the era). Those ordinary children who lived in the community flats along narrow streets were playing with picture cards created by artists who have become highly renowned and valued worldwide today.
In a matured society, some people appear to become patrons and aid creators of artwork. In Europe, such patrons were found among royalties, aristocracy or rich local magnates. In Edo Japan, plain commoners including children fulfilled the role of patrons through the purchase of their favorite nishiki-e woodcut prints with pocket change. Thanks to the invention of nishiki-e, the Japanese received many benefits-some of which they were not conscious of.
The effect of the nishiki-e principle
is seen most visibly in hand-crafted products. Today manual production may appear to be inferior to mass-production in efficiency, as no matter how experienced the artists are they can never make exactly the same item in shape or function twice. However, this apparent inefficiency in nishiki-e was in fact a huge benefit in disguise. The strongest point is that because each item is slightly different, customers could easily choose the items that struck their fancy. It is said in Japanese, "ten people, ten colors"--hand-made art is easily adapted for each person's unique tastes.
Take the example of a hoe, ...
- continued here
- source : japanfs.org/en... Eisuke Ishikawa -

- quote -
Nishiki-e 錦絵 from "Guide to Famous Spots of Edo -

In the late Edo period, Ukiyo-e (woodblock prints of everyday life in the Edo period)
produced in Edo were known as "Nishiki-e" (brocade pictures) on account of their bountiful colors,
and were extremely popular Edo miyage 江戸土産 (Edo souvenirs).
Ukiyo-e were sold by publishers called 地本問屋 jihon-donya or 絵草紙屋 ezoshi-Ya
who handled unique Edo books, and they contributed significantly to the development of Edo culture.
This picture shows the front of the 通油町 Tōriabura-chō branch shop of 鶴屋喜右衛門 Tsuruya Kiemon,
a publisher whose main shop was located in Kyoto.
Their Edo branch operated as both a 書物問屋 shomotsu-donya (publishers of regular books)
and a 地本問屋 jihon-donya.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library

..............................................................................................................................................

- quote -
Eastern-Style Comic Tanka Library (Azumaburi Kyōka Bunko)

This is a color picture book with portraits of 50 representative kyōka (comic tanka) poets in the late Edo period and their own kyōka. The portraits were drawn like dynastic poets by Kitao Masanobu (his popular writer name is Santō Kyōden).
Azumaburi Kyōka Bunko (Eastern-Style Comic Tanka Library) was drawn by a young and energetic ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) artist, Kitao Masanobu (or Santō Kyōden), selected by Yadoya Meshimori (his real name was Ishikawa Masamochi), and produced by Tsutaya Jūzaburō, a person famous for his great performance, promoting Kitagawa Utamaro and Tōshūsai Sharaku to be successful later. The success of this book also made him a top-selling publisher.
Kyōka, or a Japanese poetic style that has a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern with socially satirical, ironic and witty verse, had its highlight during the period between 1781 and 1789. Kyōka poets were samurai warriors, merchants, Edo residents and local people and they were very active in those days, enabling cross-social and cross-regional networks to be established.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

..............................................................................................................................................

- quote -
Edo Sparrow (Edo Suzume) 江戸雀 （えどすずめ）

The Edo Suzume (sparrows)' was the first periodical published in the Edo period. It was compiled from practical guides to famous places in Edo and in the final section it lists up all the Daimyō residences, shrines and temples, neighborhoods and bridges with the explanation that it intended to summarize the area covering approx. 12km in every direction. It forms together with the guides of Kyoto and Osaka (Namba), the 'Three Suzume'.
Many of the Edo periodicals published in the early Edo period focused more on introducing Edo as a booming town rather than serving as an exact and utilitarian geographical guide. As Edo bookshops were as yet not fully developed, most of them were published in the Kamigata (present day Osaka). This is considered to be the earliest Edo periodical and was authored and published by Edo residents and it is also highly rated as a picture book containing illustrations by Moronobu Hishikawa who is considered to be the founder of Ukiyo-e paintings.
At the introduction, it says that practical guides to famous local places, historic sites, temples and shrines were privided for the benefit of those who came to Edo from their home regions. The city center is divided by direction and each one is depicted in great detail from Daimyō residences, shrines and temples and famous historic sites all the way to streets and houses allowing us to know how to reach there.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

..............................................................................................................................................



kibyooshi Kibyōshi 黄表紙 Kibyoshi "Yellow Cover Books"
is a genre of Japanese picture book kusazōshi (草双紙) produced during the middle of the Edo period, from 1775 to the early 19th century. Physically identifiable by their yellow-backed covers, kibyōshi were typically printed in 10 page volumes, many spanning two to three volumes in length, with the average number of total pages being 30. Considered to be the first purely adult comicbook in Japanese literature, a large picture spans each page, with descriptive prose and dialogue filling the blank spaces in the image.
- - -　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- quote -
A Smash Hit for the Local Book Trade (Atariyashita Jihon Doiya)

A kibyōshi (illustrated storybook with a yellow cover) by Jippensha Ikku who is famous as the author of "Tōkaidōchū hizakurige", a best selling book in the Edo period. From this picture we can see how books were sold at that time.
Jihon doiya is a shop that deals in nishiki-e (colored woodblock prints) and kusa-zōshi (illustrated storybooks), which is unique to the Edo period. "Atariyashita", the title of this kibyōshi (illustrated storybook with a yellow cover) means in the language of Edo period that the books issued by the jihon doiya sold very well.
In this book, the owner of a jihon doiya Murata-ya gives some mysterious drug to a lazy writer, Jippensha Ikku. After taking the drug, the writer immediately completes his manuscript. Murata-ya engraves printing blocks, prints the manuscript and sells the book. It becomes a best-seller and Murata-ya treats Ikku with soba (buckwheat noodles), Ikku's favorite.
This book shows the process of publishing – engraving, printing, folding printed papers, collating and binding – and selling in detail.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

- quote -
Kinkin-sensei's Dream of Splendor (Kinkin Sensei Eiga no Yume)
金々先生栄花夢

During the Annei (1772-1781) and Bunka (1804-1817) periods, kibyōshi (illustrated storybook with a yellow cover) for commoners became very popular. It is said that the first kibyōshi was "Kinkin sensei eiga no yume" by Koikawa Harumachi.
The author, Koikawa Harumachi 恋川春町 (1744-1789) was very talented and known as a kyōgen (satirical) poet, kibyōshi (illustrated storybook with a yellow cover) writer and ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) artist. Born in a samurai family, he became a core member of Suruga Kojima somain as an officer of Takiwaki-Matsudaira family and he had access to information about the domain government.
He became a popular author with "Kinkin Sensei Eiga no Yume". In 1788 (Tenmei 8), he published "Ōmu Gaeshi Bunbu no Futamichi". Soon afterwards, the book became a subject of control for having criticized the Shogunate and Harumachi passed away some time after this. The book was based on the scenario of "Kōryō Issui no Yume" of a noh song "Kantan". On a slit that was put on the inside of the cover of the second edition of the book, there was a picture of the main character Kinmura Kinbei. The picture shows him lying and dreaming of an awa-mochi (millet cake) shop on his way to moving to Edo.
The character is welcomed by a rich merchant as the future head, but he keeps spending money and plays around until he is kicked out – then, he wakes up and realizes that the peak of one's life passes while cooking awa-mochi. Waking from a dream, he decides to go back to his home town. With modern and intelligent description, the book is regarded as a historical work that heralded the beginning of the "kibyōshi" period.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

.......................................................................

- quote -
blue prints (aizuri-e - 藍摺絵)

"In the late 1820s a new imported blue pigment became more readily available and affordable to woodblock print publishers. This intense blue was developed in Berlin by a color manufacturer in the early 18th century, and had been sporadically imported to Japan as early as the 1780s, primarily for use by painters. Hasui The color was known as bero, a derivation from the Dutch Berlyns blaauw ('Berlin blue'); in English it is often called Prussian blue. Unlike the natural pigments previously used for print-making; this blue was strong, vibrant, and stable. While there may be examples where bero was used on woodblock prints in the 1820s, it was not widely utilized until circa 1830 when the costs decreased and the quantities increased (apparently as a result of competition between the Dutch and Chinese importers).
By 1830 the production of the landscape series, 'Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji' by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was underway, a landmark series which was initially advertised as aizuri-e ('all blue') series rendered in bero. At about the same time, a relatively unknown artist, Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), began his landscape series, 'Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido.' The inarguable success of these two ambitious projects essentially mark the advent of a new genre of ukiyo-e: landscape prints."
- source : woodblockprints.org/index... -

..............................................................................................................................................

. WKD : History of Saijiki .

.......................................................................

"Bakemono Hakonesaki" - written by unknown and illustrated by Torii Kiyonaga

"Shirimakuri Goyoujin" - written and illustrated by Jippensha Ikku

"Narita Dochu Hizakurige" - by Kanagaki Robun and illustrated by Ichimatsusai Yoshimune

"Ninso Tenohira Roya San Mitoshi Sajiki" - written and illustrated by Santo Kyoden

"Oni Kojima Homare no Adauchi" - by Shikitei Sanba and illustrated by Utagawa Toyokuni

"Keisei Suikoden" - by Kyokutei Bakin and illustrated by Utagawa Kuniyasu

"Akutai no kyoukotsu" - written and illustrated by Santo Kyoden

"Kanataduna Chushingura" - by Santo Kyoden and illustrated by Kitao Shigemasa

"Kanewaraji" - by Jippensha Ikku and illustrated by Tsukimaru ,Yoshimaru and Kunimaru

"Oo Edo Bakemono Saiken" "Edo Bakemono Soushi" - by Adam Kabat

"Edo Gesaku Bunko" - by Hayashi Yoshikazu : Kawade Shobo Shinsha

"Edo Gesaku Soushi" - by Tanahashi Masahiro

"Edo no Gesaku Ehon" - by Koike Masatane

"Dochu Sugoroku" - by Ryutei Tanehiko and illustrated by Utagawa Kunisada

"Kyokun" - by Jippensha Ikku and illustrated by Katsushika Hokusai

"Boshu Higami Myokengu Riyaku no Sukedachi" y Jippensha Ikku and illustrated by Utagawa Toyokuni

"Omisoka Akebono-zoshi" - by Santo Kyozan and illustrated by Utagawa Toyokuni

"Mitsunoura Naniwa no Adauchi" - by Jippensha Ikku and illustrated by Utagawa Kunisada

- What is Kusazoshi ?
How to make Kusazoshi
- source : geocities.jp/kusazoshi -


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

otogizooshi 御伽草子 popular tales

- quote
otogi zoushi　御伽草子
Popular stories which flourished from the late Kamakura to the early Edo period.
The name derives from an early 18c collection of twenty-three short stories entitled otogi bunko 御伽文庫 (The Companion Library) collected and printed by Shibukawa Seiemon 渋川清右衛門, a publisher in Osaka. The title was changed to Otogi zoushi (The Companion Book) in a later version published in 1801. Once introduced, the term quickly became generalized to include a whole body of popular stories such as folk-tales, didactic narratives, war stories, etc.

Because these stories were appreciated by people from all levels of society, they were frequently illustrated and made into scroll paintings *emaki 絵巻 and picture books
*nara- ehon 奈良絵本 dating from the Muromachi to the early Edo periods. The stories were also recited by chanters and priests sometimes with the help of illustrations *etoki 絵解. The illustrations were painted in a naive style using bright colors, usually by anonymous artists. However, official painters produced a limited number of refined illustrations for the families of emperors and shoguns.

Otogi zoushi were the forerunners of Edo period *kana zoushi 仮名草子 (a story book in kana 仮名 script) and *ukiyo zoushi 浮世草子 (a story book of the floating world). Literary scholars today prefer using the terms Muromachi jidai monogatari 室町時代物語 (Muromachi Period Tales) or Chuusei shousetsu 中世小説 (Short Stories of the Middle Ages) to more precisely describe these short stories.
- source : JAANUS

hachimonjiyabon 八文字屋本
kana zooshi 仮名草子 / ukiyo zooshi 浮世草子

13 translations of the most famous Otogi Zoshi - Kyoto University
Episode 1. 玉水物語 The Tale of Tamamizu
Episode 2. 物くさ太郎 Monokusa Taro
Episode 3. 烏帽子折草子（ゑほしおりさうし） Yeboshi Ori Zoshi
Episode 4. 満仲（まんじゅう） Manjuu
Episode 5. 付喪神 Tsukumogami
Episode 6. ふくろう Owl
Episode 7. 祇王 Gio
Episode 8. 塩焼き文正 Bunsho The Saltmaker
Episode 9. たま藻のまへ Tamamo-no-mae
Episode 10. 雁の草子 A tale of tragic love of a lady and a bird [Japanese only]
Episode 11. 車僧草子 The Wagon Monk Story
Episode 12. 西行物語 The Tale of Saigyo
Episode 13. 弁慶物語 The Tale of Benkei [Japanese only]
- source : edb.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　
ukiyo zooshi 浮世草子 Ukiyo-zoshi - books about the floating world

. Matsuo Basho and the Floating World .

- quote
ukiyo zoushi　浮世草子
Lit. Books soushi 草子 of the Floating World (ukiyo 浮世).
Printed books containing illustrated prose stories which developed from the kamigata 上方 (Osaka-Kyoto) region and flourished between the 1680s and 1770s. Ukiyo zoushi reflected the culture of the townpeople chounin 町人, and the subject matter was their lives, romances and pursuit of pleasure. The word ukiyo had a range of associations arising from the Buddhist sense of this transient world of sorrows.

In works by well-known writer Ihara Saikaku 井原西鶴 (1642-93), this sense applied more particularly to what belonged to the present, and the varying manifestations of fleeting life in contemporary times. Saikaku also celebrated the human passion of sexual love koushoku 好色 in his novels, beginning with his KOUSHOKU ICHIDAI OTOKO 好色一代男 (Life of an Amorous Man ; 1682). Ukiyo zoushi came in a variety of forms and styles, but there were certain categories established by Saikaku in his major works.

These included koushokumono 好色物, amorous pieces centering around the pleasure quarters, chouninmono 町人物, which dealt with the economic lives of townsmen, and setsuwamono 説話物, which included tales of curious happenings gathered from legends and folklore.
A fourth category dealt with bukemono 武家物, aspects of the lives of samurai 侍. At the time Saikaku was writing, popular fiction in an easily read script was referred to as *kana zoushi 仮名草子, and it was not until about 1710 that the term ukiyo zoushi was mentioned as a genre. Even then, it referred to the amorous fiction earlier known as koushokubon 好色本. It was later, during the Meiji period (1868-1912), that these Edo period novels describing the tribulations of this world were called ukiyo zoushi.

The printed books generally came out in sets of five or six fascicles of hanshibon 半紙本, that is, books made from *hanshi 半紙 paper, folded in half and trimmed. The dimensions of these books could vary but were approximately 165 x 235 mm. (6 1/2 x 9 1/4").


Nishizawa Ippuu 西沢一風 (1665-1731) produced many ukiyo zoushi inspired by Saikaku as well as historical romances such as GOZEN GIKEIKI 御前義経記 (Yoshitsune's Story Told Before His Excellencｙ ; 1700). Ejima Kiseki 江島其磧 (1666-1735), author of KEISEI IROJAMISEN 傾城色三味線 (The Courtesan's Amorous Shamisen ; 1701), wrote books for the important Kyoto publishing house, Hachimonjiya 八文字屋. Kiseki and the bookseller Hachimonjiya Jishou 八文字屋自笑 (d.1745) as a team produced numerous ukiyo zoushi which were known as *hachimonjiyabon 八文字屋本 and served to make the genre more popular and accessible. Kiseki also developed a type of ukiyo zoushi known as katagimono 気質物, which consisted of sketches of townspeople and their doings.

Designers of the illustrations in these books included the authors themselves, such as Saikaku, as well as prominent *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 artists. Nishikawa Sukenobu 西川祐信 (1671-1751), Kawashima Nobukiyo 川島叙清 (fl.1711-36) and Yoshida Hanbee 吉田半平衛 (fl.c. 1660-92) were well-known illustrators for these books in the kamigata region.

In Edo, Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 (c. 1618-94), Furuyama Moroshige 古山師重 (fl. 1678-89), Sugimura Jihee 杉村治兵衛 (fl.c.1680-98), and Okumura Masanobu 奥村政信 (1686-1764) all produced illustrations for ukiyo zoushi.

In around 1766, however, after the deaths of Kiseki and Hachimonjiya Jishou, the Hachimonjiya publishing house in Kyoto was sold, and ukiyo zoushi as a literary form was almost extinguished, although a few books of this type continued to be produced.
- source : JAANUS

kooshokumono 好色物 / chooninmono 町人物

. Ihara Saikaku, Ibara Saikaku 井原西鶴 .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Obtaining Images: Art, Production, and Display in Edo Japan
by Timon Screech (Author)



The Edo period (1603–1868) witnessed one of the great flowerings of Japanese art. Towards the mid-seventeenth century, the Japanese states were largely at peace, and rapid urbanization, a rise in literacy and an increase in international contact ensued. The number of those able to purchase luxury goods, or who felt their social position necessitated owning them, soared. Painters and artists flourished and the late seventeenth century also saw a rise in the importance of printmaking. There were dominant styles and trends throughout Japan, but also those peculiar to specifc regions, such as the Kanto (Edo) and the Kamigata (Osaka and Kyoto) and, more remotely, Nagasaki.

Obtaining Images introduces the reader to important artists and their work, but also to the intellectual issues and concepts surrounding the production, consumption and display of art in Japan in the Edo period. Rather than looking at these through the lens of European art, the book contextualizes the making and use of paintings and prints, elucidating how and why works were commissioned, where they were displayed and what special properties were attributed to them.

Different imperatives are at work in the art of different traditions, and Obtaining Images firmly anchors the art of Japan of this period in its contemporary context, offering a highly engaging and comprehensive introduction for the student and general reader alike.
- reference source : www.amazon.com ... -

.......................................................................

Painting of the Realm:
The Kano House of Painters in Seventeenth-Century
by Yukio Lippit (Author)



In this eloquent and far-ranging work, Yukio Lippit explores the seventeenth-century consolidation of Japanese painting by the famed Kano painting house, whose style evolved from the legacy of Zen monk-painters of the medieval era and intertwined Chinese with native Japanese practices. Legitimacy was transmitted from master to disciple in a manner similar to that in religious traditions. Lippit illuminates the role of key factors--bequeathal of artworks, authentication of art, painting in the mode of famous masters, collections of art, and the use of art in governance--in establishing the orthodoxy of the Kano painters and their paramount role in defining Japanese painting.

The Painting of the Realm is pathbreaking in its analysis of the discursive operations of the Kano school and its posing of large questions about painting that exceed narrow artist-centered, formalist analysis. Lippit has undertaken a bold and dense study of painting production and reception, presenting original and compelling interpretations.
- reference source : amazon.co.jp -

Edo no Ehon 江戸の絵本 Picture books from Edo
. umesatoclub.com/~mojiquiz ... .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. kitan sooshi 鬼譚草紙 Kitan Soshi "demon stories" .
奇譚草紙 Kitan Soshi Magic Stories

. shuppansha 出版社 publishing company, book publisher .
ABC - Introduction

. kashihonya, kashihon'ya 貸本屋 booklender, booklender
furuhonya, furu-honya 古本屋 selling old books in Edo .

. Famous Book Titles from Japan - Edo .

. Teikin Oorai, Teikin ōrai 庭訓往来 textbooks .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

春雨や傘さして見る絵草子屋
harusame ya kasa shashite miru ezooshiya

spring rain:
browsing under an umbrella
at the picture-book store
Tr. Beichman

Janine Beichman has commented perceptively, "A quiet feeling of spring rain is splendidly evoked, but the identity of the browser is deliberately left vague in order to evoke better the quality of the rain." This is an excellent example of a shasei haiku. There is never mention of a "you" or "I," but the atmosphere is perfectly evoked.
source :　Donald Keene - The Winter Sun Shines In

. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 visiting shrines and temples .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. seihonshi 製本師　bookbinder .

. Japanese Architecture - cultural keywords used in haiku .


[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #ezooshi #booksaboutedo #azuma #azumanishiki #nishikie #kibyoshi -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::