KAWACHI MEISHO ZUE: PICTORIAL GUIDE TO THE FAMOUS PLACES OF THE KAWACHI AREA IN

[Osaka 1801, Morimoto]. Pale green stitched stiff wrs., very good, covers bit dusty, scuffed, contents clean, solid, 18.3 x 26 cm., woodblock printed,26+20+20+20+20+51 double leaves, 101 double illustrations, 6 vols., complete. FIRST EDITION . *** **** *** . . A SUPERB EDO PERIOD GUIDEBOOK TO KAWACHI IN OSAKA . * THE AUTHOR: AKISATO Rito [c.1776-1830]: Akisato wrote the text and was assisted by the celebrated and highly skilled artist Niwa Tokei [1760-1822]. Other well-known artists also contributed stunning illustrations to this major work, complete in six volumes. . *** THE SUBJECT: This work covers the gay activities of the Kawachi area, known for zany and unusual festivals and dances. It is profusely illustrated and also a superbly illustrated Edo period travel guide to the sights and scenery of Osaka and environs. Covers costumes, way of life, famous places and the unique Osaka perspective. . *** CONTENTS: Focus on the grand gardens, people, unusual festivals & fetes, shrines, temples, inns, palaces, people and daily activities of the inhabitants, costume, customs, etc. With excellent illustrations and text about Seirin-ji temple in Furuichi district. . *** THE ILLUSTRATOR: NIWA Morikuni [Tokei] [1760-1822]: A noted Osaka printmaker, known for his illustrations of scenes from all over Japan. He used Go [studio names]: Tokei, Maya, Kyo, Shiken, Ko-in, Hakusho and Kanshiro. He was a profuse Ehon [woodblock printed & illustrated book] illustrator. See Brown & Roberts. . *** CONDITION: The covers are bound in original stitched green stiff wrappers, with yellow title slips. The covers are somewhat dusty, the usual minor few old bug holes, edge, else firmly bound and solid. The title slips have some minor chipping, rubbing, soil as usual by and large intact for the most part. . The contents are exceptionally clean, no stain or old worming, woodblock printed on bright white Washi paper. Excellent impression and registry. Overall a better than average copy of a 201 year-old RARE book. . *** COLLATION: Volumes: 1: Artists name, seals, preface table of contents et al. 2-5: Each volume contains double sheets: 50; 32; 47;41; 6: 51 double sheets, list of artists. See Mitchell. . *** REFERENCE: * C. Mitchell: THE ILLUSTRATED BOOKS OF THE NANGA, MARUYAMA, SHIJO AND OTHER RELATED SCHOOLS OF JAPAN: A BIBLIOGRAPHY. p.348. * BROWN, Louise N.: BLOCK PRINTING AND BOOK ILLUSTRATION IN JAPAN, p.101 * H. Kerlen: CATALOGUE OF PRE-MEIJI JAPANESE BOOKS AND MAPS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS, p.343, #805 * British Museum Catalogue, 1898, p.2 * Duret 568, 2 vols. * Stockholm 33 * ROBERTS, Laurance P.: A DICTIONARY OF JAPANESE ARTISTS: PAINTING, SCULPTURE, CERAMICS, PRINTS, LACQUER, p.180. * EDGREN, J.S.: CATALOGUE OF THE NORDENSKIOLD COLLECTION OF JAPANESE BOOKS IN THE ROYAL LIBRARY, #533, 534 * . *** *** *** . . A STUNNING EDO PERIOD GUIDE TO ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS . . ROADS IN JAPAN . *** THE AUTHOR: AKIZATO Ritoh [Shunfuku] [active 1776-1830] was a prolific author of the period and wrote several important other similar Meisho [guides to famous places] titles during this period. His texts accompany the graphics. He was a Haiku poet and garden architect. See our website for others by him. . *** THE ARTIST: This profusely "Sumizuri" illustrated work was done by NISHIMURA Chuwa [1758-1835], a well-known artist of the time and genre. . *** ILLUSTRATIONS: The work is lavishly woodblock illustrated, with 172 double-page and two full page illustrations, 372 leaves in all. . MULTI-PAGE IMAGES: Several double-page illustrations in the "bird's-eye-view" panoramic style are found throughout this work. It was a unique Japanese artistic style of the period. . *** ABOUT KISO: Kiso: a mountainous region comprising the S. W. of Shimano and the East of Mino. In 702 A.D. a road was built there, called the Kiso-Kaidoh or Nakasendoh. The ancient fief of Kiso, extended as far as the modern city of Matsumoto [Shinano] now called Nagano prefecture. . It was gi. …