ANTIQUE JAPANESE DOLLS AND TOYS / CLASSIC WORK WITH 133 COLOR WOODBLOCK PRINTS - $800 - (Lincoln, MA)

Volumes II-IV OF THE CLASSIC WORK with 133 color woodblock prints Title: Unai no tomo (A Child's Friends; Japanese folk toys) Author: Seifu Shimizu. Edited by Yamada Naozaburo Edition: Unsodo, Kyoto, three volumes from the set with two volumes from the first printing Date: 1911 (Meiji 44) Offering: Volumes II-IV from the ten volumes set, the production of high quality. The 133 color woodblock prints in the three volumes were made from designs by Shimizu, after works in his collection. Some prints have additional hand applied color, or silver or gold leaf. Volumes II and IV with numbered sheets and four and five stamped seals respectively are from the rare first printing. Volume III is an early printing. Many of the volumes in the set were issued independently, at intervals over 32 years between 1891 and 1923: the last four volumes were issued posthumously. Importance: Widely considered the most important, early illustrated Japanese book on omocha (toys), the work is also of ethnographic and cultural significance. Omocha were traditionally handmade from common materials and usually sold at festivals on ennichi (link-days). Many were derived from amulets and talismans rooted in religious and magical beliefs associated with Shinto and traditional Japanese folklore. Shimizu was a student of Hiroshige III and had long contemplated preparation of the work. A connoisseur, his intimacy with his collection resulted in a series of exquisite designs, in which color, form and function all become one. There aren't just a few highlights, there are many, and their ability to create references to Japanese history, culture, religion and family life is endlessly surprising. A source of inspiration for the Mingei movement, the work inspired artists such as Munakata Shiko and is a reference for historians, anthropologists, ethnographers and collectors. Pate calls it, "the classic work" and Kyburz, "the bible for all serious toy amateurs". Rarity: A worldwide institution search finds…

Posted in Lincoln, MA, Toys & Games
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