Juraku Cho. 3 Volumes

1934. JAPANESE DESIGN. Juraku Cho. 3 Volumes. Illustrated with a total of 90 colour and monochrome woodblock plates. Oblong folio, 390 x 270 mm, bound in publisher's silk over boards in a new chitsu case. Kyoto: Unsodo, 1934. A spectacular series of designs with the superb colour woodblock plates, with each volume devoted to a different motif. Volume 1 is Ryu no maki, the dragon. Volume 2 is Hoo no maki, the phoenix, and Volume 3 is Shishi no maki, the lion. Both the full colour plates and the monochrome plates facing them are masterpieces of the woodblock maker's art. Unsodo is the name of a large Japanese publishing company with branches in both Tokyo and Kyoto. Founded in 1891, this company is still in existence today. From the 1890s through the 1930s, the Unsodo publishing house was involved in printing high quality pattern books for various crafts including textiles and lacquer. Some wear to the boards, but otherwise a fine set. Rare. (Inventory #: 165341)