Mitate Banzuke (1 results)

Map, 30 double-page black and white wood block prints, 17.5 x 12cm, [60]pp. Some relativetly minor worming, occasional spotting, few neat washi repairs, title label missing. This book is a compilation of 30 small mitate banzuke (????) from the late Edo period. Mitate banzuke is a type of kawaraban, covering a wide range of topics and ranking them in a manner similar to sumo rankings. This volume covers a wide variety of subjects including listings of Japan?s famous waterfalls, complete with charts showing numerous waterfalls and their locations. Another example is a creatively deformed double page map of 64 counties in Japan, highlighting each county?s special local produce. Most of the rankings are humorous in nature, featuring puns and witty commentary on subjects such as eating competitions or things that were widely disliked.