About this Item
A substantial scholarly catalogue documenting one of the world's finest collections of early Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Curated by noted Asian art historian Howard A. Link, with assistance from renowned Japanese print scholars J?z? Suzuki and Roger S. Keyes, the volume catalogs nearly 300 rare 'primitive' ukiyo-e works dating principally from the late seventeenth through mid-eighteenth centuries. Each entry includes detailed cataloguing, provenance, technical descriptions, historical commentary, artist biographies, and high-quality color and black-and-white reproductions. James A. Michener contributes the foreword, reflecting the importance of his celebrated gift to the Honolulu Academy of Arts. An indispensable reference for collectors, museums, scholars of Japanese art, and students of Edo-period printmaking.
Book: Near Fine. Binding remains tight and square with clean hinges and bright gilt lettering. Interior is exceptionally clean with no ownership markings observed. A series of small, uniformly spaced black dots is present from the front cover through approximately page 69. These appear to be a printer's manufacturing defect (likely a press or offsetting blemish) rather than later staining, foxing, or handling damage. The remainder of the text block appears clean and unaffected. Boards retain excellent color with only minimal handling wear.
Dust Jacket: Very Good. Original unclipped jacket. Moderate edge wear with several small chips and short closed tears along the upper edge, light rubbing, scattered handling marks, and a few greenish spots on the rear panel. Presents attractively in spite of the edge wear.
First Edition, First Printing (1980), published by The University Press of Hawaii for the Honolulu Academy of Arts.
This catalogue documents one of the most significant collections of early ukiyo-e ever assembled outside Japan. While James A. Michener is best known as a bestselling novelist, he was also one of America's foremost collectors and patrons of Japanese art. Unlike many exhibition catalogues of the period, this work remains an important scholarly reference because each print is fully catalogued with provenance, technical analysis, and commentary by three internationally respected authorities. Copies in collectible condition continue to be sought by museums, university libraries, and collectors of Japanese woodblock print literature. The apparent repeating black dots affecting the front cover through page two are consistent with a production defect introduced during manufacture rather than later damage, making them an unusual - but original - as-issued printing flaw rather than a condition issue caused by use.
Howard A. Link (1935-2002) was Curator of Asian Art at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and one of the leading Western authorities on early Japanese ukiyo-e prints. As keeper of the James A. Michener Collection, he produced numerous important catalogues and scholarly studies on Torii Kiyonobu, Hiroshige, and early theatrical prints. His publications remain standard references in Japanese print scholarship.
The dust jacket reproduces The Onnagata Fujimura Handay? in a Mad Scene by Torii Kiyonobu I (ca. 1664-1729), one of the founding masters of ukiyo-e and the leading artist of the Torii school, whose bold theatrical designs helped establish the visual language of Kabuki printmaking during the early eighteenth century.
The jacket itself was designed by A. Burkhardt, whose understated modernist layout allows Kiyonobu's dramatic woodblock print to dominate the composition. Rather than creating new artwork, Burkhardt's restrained typography and generous margins emphasize the scholarly nature of the publication while showcasing one of the collection's most historically significant prints.
Seller Inventory # NF.LIN.1980.2
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