Hardcover
1957 · Tokyo
by Tessai, Tomioka
Tokyo: Chikuna Shobo, 1957. Original/Japanese. Hardcover. VG+ internally; cloth covers have a spot of rubbing mid-spine and discoloration to back bottom edge. Dj faded on front; rubbed a bit on back/spine; and with light chipping to head/tail of spine.. Greenish-taupe cloth/boards; gilt lettering/decoration on spine and covers. Glossy, milk chocolate dj with white Japanese characters and black titling on white spine. Decorative end papers. 188 pp. with color frontis tipped in; 38 color plates; numerous bw illustrations; and a section of Japanese calligraphic marks in red (title blocks? hallmarks?). No slipcase. Large (10x14) and heavy (5 pounds / 2.27 kilos) and may require extra postage. Text entirely in Japanese. A monograph of the works of Japanese artist and Confucian Scholar, Tomioka Tessai (1837-1924). He is regarded as the last major artist in the Bunjinga tradition and one of the first major artists of the Nihonga style (Wikipedia). This particular volume highlights several of Tessai's scrolls featuring both landscape art and calligraphy. Most of the first 93 pages contain an image of an entire scroll (in bw) on the right-hand page and larger plate on the facing page showing detail from the scroll. Many of the detail images are in color. The next section appears to be the text material about the plates (with bw illustrations). A third section (just guessing here!) looks like it could contain the text from each scroll with an accompanying commentary/annotation. The section of red calligraphic marks follows, and the book ends with 8 pages of charted data and, perhaps, a list of the plates, with technical information.
(Inventory #: 154426)