Katsushika HOKUSAI (1760-1849)

 Click here to view image full size.

One volume complete: Shuga ichiran, “Excellent Paintings at a Glance.” One of Hokusai’s most undervalued books but at the same time one of his best documented. ( See Hokusa’s Shuga Ichiran, An annotated description of Hokusai’s Shuga Ichiran by C. Ouwehand, Heinz Kaempfer Fund, 1991. Based on the copy in the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden. ) Two versions are known: A colour printed edition ( as here, and Leiden ) and a monochrome example with title Denshin gakyo. The book is unusual ( and must have been expensive ) as it is partly printed in gold with mica added. There were a number of later reprints of this book. Published by Hishiya Kyubei, Nagoya and five others, c 1818.

Original dark brown burnished covers. Original title slip ( faded ). Front cover nibbled at edge affecting edge of first two sheets of preface. Other minor marks and soil, but generally a nice copy.

Status: Sold