first edition
1880 · Tokyo
by Ninagawa, Noritane
Tokyo: [Published by the author], 1880. First editions 7 volumes, oblong portfolios, approx 10.5" x 15.5"; text in Japanese; 125 chromolithographic plates and one rubbing illustrating 231 notable pieces of Japanese pottery, lacking the French translations in octavo, but with the 6th and 7th portfolio volumes which were published later and are often missing. Blue paper covers edge-worn, stitched bindings weak at some points, the plates themselves exquisitely produced and in near fine condition with the occasional offsetting. Boards of the original folding case present but broken. Ninagawa Noritane was a member of the Meiji government's Museum Bureau, and was instrumental in the establishment of formal recognition of Japan's most important cultural properties. He traveled the country, cataloging the riches held by temples and shrines and gaining access to treasures that were restricted to all but those given permission directly from the imperial family. The end result of this work was the Jishin survey catalogue of temple and shrine treasures, which itself became an Important Cultural Property. This set is a product of that work, and in addition to being notable for its beautifully executed lithographs is arguably the foundational text of the modern study of Japanese ceramics.
(Inventory #: 53078)