Keien (5 results)

Condition: Fine. Number of books: 1 book.

A fascinating and exceedingly rare Japanese e-hon, situating the classic myth of Momotaro in the context of the Russo-Japanese War, with the United States and Great Britain depicted as the proud parents of heroic young Japan. The core tale of Momotaro describes an elderly couple who discover a large peachto their surprise, a boy who they name Momotaro (lit. "Peach Boy") emerges. The couple raise him and soon discover that he possesses enormous strength, and before long the boy sets off to pacify the vicious oni of the nearby island of Onigashima. Meeting friends in the form of a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant along the way, Momotaro vanquishes his foe and brings back their riches, which restore the health and fortunes of his adoptive parents. One of Japan's most enduring legends, the character of Momotaro became increasingly tied in with the Japanese national self-image beginning in the 19th century. This delightfully illustrated version of the tale, interestingly printed side-by-side with an original (if not entirely accurate) English translation, was printed at the outset of the Russo-Japanese War. Researcher Nahoko Kahara describes its contents in her article on the Momotaro myth: "Since the Meiji period, as Japan has engaged in foreign wars, Momotaro has often been interpreted as a Japanese soldier. In 'Momotaro: The Revival of Russo-Japanese Warfare' (1904), published the year the Russo-Japanese War began, the grandfather's name is "Eizo" [for Eikoku, i.e. England] and the grandmother's name is "Oame." [the "Ame" of "America"]. They are Westerners dressed in clothing featuring the British and American flags. Momotaro, dressed in military uniform, carries a bomb instead of millet dumplings and sets out to conquer the villainous 'Roske,' [Russia] who bullies 'Oshina-chan' and 'Ocho-chan.'" After their home is attacked by the Russian devils, Eizo and Oame are shown gleefully arming Momotaro with cannons, rifles, and blades. In the end, the vanquished Russians beg Momotaro for forgiveness while his subordinates wave the Japanese flag and cry "Banzai!" Just as in the legend, Momotaro returns to his old parents with the "precious things" given to him by the Russians, and on the final page Oame and Eizo are depicted alongside their son with the flags of all three nations fly proudly in the background. While the war ended in victory for the Japanese, they were appalled by the resulting peace treaty, mediated by Theodore Roosevelt, and the rosy view of "Mother America" put forth in this book quickly soured. The colophon states that this is apparently the fourth printing, printed less than six months after the first, though we locate no copy of any edition anywhere. Kahara's essay cites a later printing with the altered title "Momotaro: The Revival of Japan." A very rare and interesting piece of Japanese wartime publishing, and intriguing evidence of Japanese attitudes towards America at the turn of the 20th century. Nahoko Kahara, "From Folktale Hero to National Symbol: The Making of Momotaro Paradigm in Japanese Modern Age" in Waseda Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 25 (2004), pp.35-61. Oblong booklet. Original illustrated wrappers, string-tied. Rear wrapper lacking, last leaf dampstained, a few small closed tears, faint tideline to upper edge throughout. Good.

A set of excellent Japanese drawings on Japanese paper, nearly all in colour, the dated ones mostly from 1901 to 1903, though one apparently 1898. Most show flowers, but some also or instead show fruits, vegetables, berries, roots, tree branches, grasses, etc., all in a consistent style and format and botanically accurate. One includes a butterfly, four show birds or feathers in great detail (with or without flowers) and one shows three kubi furi tora (bobbing-head tigers) that would have been carved out of wood or made of papier maché and then painted. Most double-page spreads are clearly planned as a single composition, sometimes with one large drawing across both pages and sometimes with three drawings with the centre one across the fold, but some have two drawings, one on the right page and one on the left page. Some also have additional detail drawings. Although the title calls the collection morning glory sketches, other flowers are just as frequent and prominent. Flowers shown include camellia, cherry, hibiscus, crocosmia, narcissus, peony, iris and many more. In addition to flowers, the botanical drawings include bananas, sweet potato, melon, bamboo shoots, ginger, saffron, some sort of cabbage, peas(?) growing in a pot and others. Three double-page spreads contain very fine drawings of birds and another of bird feathers (including a peacock feather). A prominent artist adopted the pen-name Keien in the 19th century and after his 1880 death some others used the same name. Lacking 1 leaf (the right half of double-page spread 31), with the loss of one whole figure and part of another. The paste has often discoloured the paper along the fold, some bifolia are torn along the fold and there is an occasional minor marginal defect, but the drawings are otherwise in very good condition. The back wrapper is lacking, the front wrapper damaged, the spine has been reinforced with plain paper and some bifolia have come loose from their neighbours. A stunning set of beautiful and accurate Japanese colour drawings, mostly botanical. Each bifolium with its fold toward the spine and its drawings on the inside pages, the outside blank pages pasted to those of the adjacent bifolia along the fold and in a few other spots, and the first (progressing from right to left as usual in a Japanese book) similarly pasted to the front wrapper (a double leaf of thicker paper with a core made from 2 leaves of thinner paper), with the title (left column) in Japanese in black ink and with three red, square inkan (woodcut signature-seal stamps). With 85 double-page (mostly botanical) drawings in black ink on Japanese (kozo/paper mulberry?) paper, each showing 1, 2 or 3 figures, sometimes with additional detail drawings, nearly all coloured in watercolour and/or gouache and most with captions identifying the subject and/or giving the date. Pages: Wrapper-title plus [85] double-page spreads.

LeatherBound. Condition: New. BOOKS ARE EXEMPT FROM IMPORT DUTIES AND TARIFFS; NO EXTRA CHARGES APPLY. LeatherBound edition. Condition: New. Reprinted from 1915 edition. Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden leaf printing on spine. NO changes have been made to the original text. This is NOT a retyped or an ocr'd reprint. Illustrations, Index, if any, are included in black and white. Each page is checked manually before printing. Pages: 662 As this print on demand book is reprinted from a very old book, there could be some missing or flawed pages, but we always try to make the book as complete as possible. Fold-outs, if any, are not part of the book. If the original book was published in multiple volumes then this reprint is of only one volume, not the whole set. Sewing binding for longer life, where the book block is actually sewn (smythe sewn/section sewn) with thread before binding which results in a more durable type of binding. Pages: 662 Language: jpn.

Leather Bound. Condition: New. Language: Japanese. Language: Japanese. Presenting an Exquisite Leather-Bound Edition, expertly crafted with Original Natural Leather that gracefully adorns the spine and corners. The allure continues with Golden Leaf Printing that adds a touch of elegance, while Hand Embossing on the rounded spine lends an artistic flair. This masterpiece has been meticulously reprinted in 2024, utilizing the invaluable guidance of the original edition published many years ago in 1915. The contents of this book are presented in classic black and white. Its durability is ensured through a meticulous sewing binding technique, enhancing its longevity. Imprinted on top-tier quality paper. A team of professionals has expertly processed each page, delicately preserving its content without alteration. Due to the vintage nature of these books, every page has been manually restored for legibility. However, in certain instances, occasional blurriness, missing segments, or faint black spots might persist. We sincerely hope for your understanding of the challenges we faced with these books. Recognizing their significance for readers seeking insight into our historical treasure, we've diligently restored and reissued them. Our intention is to offer this valuable resource once again. We eagerly await your feedback, hoping that you'll find it appealing and will generously share your thoughts and recommendations. Lang: - Japanese, Pages: - 662, Print on Demand. If it is a multi-volume set, then it is only a single volume. We are specialised in Customisation of books, if you wish to opt different color leather binding, you may contact us. This service is chargeable. Product Disclaimer: Kindly be informed that, owing to the inherent nature of leather as a natural material, minor discolorations or textural variations may be perceptible. Explore the FOLIO EDITION (12x19 Inches): Available Upon Request. 662 662.