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Japanese Art Sketchbooks

A selection of historical Japanese sketchbooks, featuring hand-drawn illustrations of flora and fauna from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Drawings of the old Ogawa Usen - Part one, 1939 book Part one (of four); white cover with yellow title strip; Light green cover with black and white title strip at the top left; 26 sheets: inside cover and first page, table of contents; 1-24, black and white illustrations; 25, color illustration; last page, colophon; back cover, afterword. paper color woodcut

Acupuncture needles: Spoon Needle (chi zhen), Chinese

Geïllustreerd boek met nuttige informatie; Ehon tsuhoshi.Three parts (of ten), as one part tied together in original blue cover of the fourth part; Title strip at the top left; Black and white images of landscapes, people and birds.

Sutra Cover. China. Date: 1590-1599. Dimensions: 30.2 × 11.8 cm (13 1/8 × 4 5/8 in.). Silk and gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper strip, gauze weave with supplementary patterning wefts; label: silk, plain weave; painted in ink; glued to paper. Origin: China. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

China: Page from a 16th century Ming dynasty edition of the Jiuzhang suanshu (Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Arts)

Sketches of Bunpo - Part three; Bunpo Gafu Sanpen. Part three (of three); Gray-brown cover with octogonal pattern in blind pressure; Title strip at the top left; Deck top with handwritten Japanese inscription; 36 sheets, numbered; Three pages for word; 2-35A, images of people, animals and landscapes; 35b and cover sheet, colophon.

Illustrated model book of Ikenobo Ikebana flower arrangements; Ikenobo Ikebana Mohan Hanagata Zufu. Book with gold-colored silk cover on which a floral motif; handwritten title sheet in the middle; 80 sheets: a leaf with title and illustration; 79 blades with illustrations of different flower arrangements (Ikebana) in the style of the Ikenobo School.

Preventing the capital; Miyako No Omokage. Pattern book for kimonostof; White cover with blind pressure and image in gray from painted kimonostof; Above left bright pink title strip; Bright pink cover sheet, title page; 27 sheets, numbered: 1-2, people in colorful kimonos; 1-25, kimonos with various patterns; Deck leaf, colophon.

Epitaph Tablet for Bak Eun (1479-1504), from a Set of 14 Korean. Epitaph Tablet for Bak Eun (1479-1504), from a Set of 14, 1509. Porcelain with underglaze, 9 3/4 × 6 1/2 × 1 in. (24.8 × 16.5 × 2.5 cm). When important individuals died during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), they were commemorated in lengthy epitaphs that were inscribed on durable surfaces for posterity. This set of fourteen plaques (we are showing only part of the set) records the biography and family history of a celebrated poet, Park Eun (1479-1504), and even includes examples of his verses. This is an unusually early example of the use of porcelain for preserving epitaphs. Prior to this period, epitaphs were carved into stone. In this early period, iron oxide was used to write the text, whereas later cobalt blue would be preferred. Asian Art 1509

Sutra cover 16th century China Sutras printed in the accordion-fold format were often encased by covers wrapped in decorative silks. Covers both protected the sacred words and presented the sutras in beautiful envelopes that signaled the importance of the contents within. These examples from the sixteenth century indicate the variety of sutra cover motifs, including some seemingly irrelevant to Buddhist philosophy, such as dragons, phoenixes, or the character shou, meaning longevity. Sutra cover 76604

Japan - Part two, 1868 - 1912 book Part two of one series of pattern books; Kaft with the image of grass and cloud pattern; 50 blades with diverse dust patterns. paper. color woodcut

Sutra Cover with Floral Scroll 16th century China. Sutra Cover with Floral Scroll 53752

Thousand-character Essay written in cursive script 20th century China. Thousand-character Essay written in cursive script. China. 20th century. Ink on paper. Rubbing

Epitaph Tablet for Bak Eun (1479-1504), from a Set of 14 Korean. Epitaph Tablet for Bak Eun (1479-1504), from a Set of 14, 1509. Porcelain with underglaze, 9 1/2 × 6 × 1 1/4 in. (24.1 × 15.2 × 3.2 cm). When important individuals died during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), they were commemorated in lengthy epitaphs that were inscribed on durable surfaces for posterity. This set of fourteen plaques (we are showing only part of the set) records the biography and family history of a celebrated poet, Park Eun (1479-1504), and even includes examples of his verses. This is an unusually early example of the use of porcelain for preserving epitaphs. Prior to this period, epitaphs were carved into stone. In this early period, iron oxide was used to write the text, whereas later cobalt blue would be preferred. Asian Art 1509

Strip book - part one, 1904 book Part one (of two); Purple cover with green-orange-white stripe pattern; in the middle, title strip; 21 magazines: one magazine, text; Other sheets, different with pattern designs for dust. paper color woodcut

Pattern models for brokats from the capital, 1886 book Two parts (of three) with dust designs for kimonos. paper color woodcut

Album with actor prints, 1800 - 1900 Green cover with flower and leaf motif; Title strip at the top left; 29 sheets with 11 single prints, 7 dip peaks and eleven triptics; Save in red chitsu (folding box). Japan paper color woodcut Green cover with flower and leaf motif; Title strip at the top left; 29 sheets with 11 single prints, 7 dip peaks and eleven triptics; Save in red chitsu (folding box). Japan paper color woodcut

Sutra cover 16th century China Sutras printed in the accordion-fold format were often encased by covers wrapped in decorative silks. Covers both protected the sacred words and presented the sutras in beautiful envelopes that signaled the importance of the contents within. These examples from the sixteenth century indicate the variety of sutra cover motifs, including some seemingly irrelevant to Buddhist philosophy, such as dragons, phoenixes, or the character shou, meaning longevity. Sutra cover 76597

Sea of the Arts - Number eight, 1896 book Number eight of 1896; cover on which river landscape with autumn leaves; Inside cover, autumn leaves; 11 sheets: 10 sheets with pattern designs, of which a stylized blossom and cloud pattern against a red background on the first page; one magazine, advertisements; Last sheet, Colophon. paper color woodcut

Fragmentary 1000-character essay written in cursive script in the Tang dynasty 20th century China. Fragmentary 1000-character essay written in cursive script in the Tang dynasty. China. 20th century. Ink on paper. Rubbing

C18 Chinese woodcut: Throat abscess with hoarse voice

Medical talisman for gestation and puerperium (Chinese MS)

Sketches of Bunpo - Part three; Bunpo Gafu Sanpen. Part three (of three); Gray-brown cover with octogonal pattern in blind pressure; Title strip at the top left; cover sheet, behind which handwritten Japanese inscription; 35 sheets, numbered; Three pages for word; 2-35A, images of people, animals and landscapes; last page, colophon; Deck top, handwritten Japanese text.

Spring patterns for the capital; Hinagata Miyako No Haru. Part three (of three) with sample patterns for kimonos; Blue cover with pattern in blind pressure and white title strip at the top left; Seventeen blades, numbered: 37-52, images of kimonos seen on the back, with various patterns; Deck leaf, colophon. The designs are numbered 121-154.

The album kyôka verse for the Young Ebiso, looks UTAMARO, 1790 - book Book with 60 Kyôka (comic poems) about various New Year's rituals. The poems were collected by the poet Yadoya No Meshimori (1753-1830). Dark blue cover; Title strip at the top left; eleven magazines; Inside cover and one page, introduction; Ten pages images of New Year's customs; ten pages comic New Year's poems; Two pages, afterword and colophon. Book kept in dark red cover. Or paper color woodcut January 1 (~ festivities)

C15 Chinese medical primer: Pulse diagnosis table

Marici Sutra and Yellow Emperor's Sutra for Secret Charm Against Evil 20th century China. Marici Sutra and Yellow Emperor's Sutra for Secret Charm Against Evil. Li Fenggui (Moli). China. 20th century. Ink on paper. Rubbing

Sutra Cover Made 1590-1599 China. Silk and cotton, broken twill weave with patterning wefts; wrapped over cardboard and backed with paper; applied label of silk, plain weave; with inscribed title painted and/or printed with ink .

A Brocade of the Four Seasons. Pattern book; Black cover with fragmented gold leaf with handwritten title in the middle; title sheet; 13 sheets with 13 color wood cuts of different designs, of which 12 on the back bear the title of the design; Colophon.

Sutra Cover Made 1590-1599 China. Silk, plain weave double cloth; wrapped over cardboard and backed with paper; applied label of silk, plain weave; with inscribed title painted and/or printed with ink .

Sketches of flowers and birds from Seitei - part three, 1891 book Part three (of three); white cover with pattern of grasses; gray -green title strip, top left; pink cover, title page; 24 sheets: one leaf, preface, decorated with tendrils in gray and red; one magazine, table of contents; 22 magazines, illustrations of flowers and birds; Last page and writer colophon. Loose added: original cover. paper color woodcut

C18 Chinese woodcut: Over-exertion laryngitis

New Sea of the Arts - 8; Shin Bijutsukai - Hachi. Part eight (out of 35); cover with diagonal pattern in pink, white and blue; diagonally over the middle, title strip; 12 sheets: first leaf (green), advertisements; 10 sheets with 20 pattern designs, of which on the first page a wave pattern in black, red and orange; last sheet (red-brown), advertisements; inside cover; Colophon; Cover back side, English text.

Morning Mist, 1912 book Two parts (complete) with famous songs and poems, with illustrations; Save in yellow box with white title strip at the top right. paper color woodcut

C18 Chinese woodcut: Swollen-putrid throat abscess

World of the arts - 24; Bijutsu Sekai - 24. White cover with silhouette of blossom branches and yellow-purple title strip; inside cover, pattern of dennent branches; 16 sheets, partly numbered: first leaf, table of contents; second sheet, foldable print; 2-13, images of people, animals and landscapes; 1-2; text; Inside cover, colophon.

Sutra Cover Made 1590-1599 China. Silk and gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper strip, plain weave with supplementary patterning wefts bound in weft-float faced 1 3 'Z' twill interlacings; label silk, plain weave; painted with ink, glued over paper .

Chinese Materia Medica illustration, Ming: Damupi plant

Seitei's Book of drawings of flowers and birds, 1891, Watanabe Seitei, Japanese, 1852 - 1918, 9 3/4 × 6 9/16 × 7/16 in. (24.77 × 16.67 × 1.11 cm), color woodblock printed book, Japan, 19th century

World of the Arts - 11; Bijutsu Sekai - 11. Red cover with image of painting utensils and title; Binnant cover, seal; 16 sheets, numbered: one page, Introduction; one page, table of contents; 1-15, text and images of persons during various activities; one sheet, introduction and table of contents in English; Deck leaf, colophon.

Spring patterns for the capital, Anonymous, 1885 - 1890 book Part three (of three) with sample patterns for kimonos; Blue cover with pattern in blind pressure and white title strip at the top left; Seventeen magazines, numbered: 37-52, images of kimonos on the back, with various patterns; DEKLAGE, COLOFON. The designs are numbered 121-154. print maker: Japanpublisher: Osakapublisher: Kyotobookseller: Japan paper

Album of Miscellaneous Subjects, 1788. Min Zhen (Chinese, 1730-after 1788). Album leaf, ink on paper; overall: 29 x 18.4 cm (11 7/16 x 7 1/4 in.).

Illustrated report from a trip to the West; Gazu Saiyutan. Five parts (complete), with outline an annotations about the journey from Kokan to Nagasaki; In a blue Chitsu (foldable box), with title strip on the back and top left on the front.

Sutra Cover 16th century China. Sutra Cover 50538

Album on silk farming and silk production. unknown, author

Japan, various manufacturers, Yoshiiku, Utagawa, Kuniyoshi, Kunisada (I), Album with Japanese diptychs, Two leporello albums containing prints by various artists. When the albums are placed next to each other, the prints always form diptychs. Preserved in liver-coloured chitsu (fold-out box)., print album, prints, Japan (collection), height 252 mm, width 185 mm, Japanese, 1786 - 1865, print maker, printmaker, 1853 - 1856, paper, colour woodcut, 1798 - 1861-04-14, 1833 - 1904

Augustus 1906, 1906 - 1920 book. magazine Number 10 of the second volume (August 1906) of the magazine Fujin Gho: cover with image of white and pink flowers between green leaves, in the middle of red-white title strip; Inside, frontispies of landscape with male by river. paper letterpress printing

Album before Bokutei, Diverse Manufacturers, 1894 album Leporello book; Cover of woven rice straw; In the middle of title strip; 40 sheets: 4 pages calligraphy; 35 paintings of mainly landscapes, flowers, plants and animals; 6 pages calligraphy; Last page afterword. The paintings were made by more than 20 different artists. Japan paper drawing

Still life with dolls, Tojin, c. 1855 - c. 1870 print Still life with a packet of seaweed in which two small dolls of a man, a woman and a bird. On the package in Helder Blauw the name and address of the seaweed shop Eirakuya. With multiple poems. paper color woodcut algae, seaweed. oriental ideographic script (Chinese, Korean, Japanese)

Piece 18th century Japan. Piece. Japan. 18th century. Silk / Compound weave. Edo period (1615-1868). Textiles-Woven

Prentalbum with art objects; Bijutsuhin Gafu; World`s Columbian Exposition. Four parts (complete) with images of the Japanese pavilion and exhibited works at the World Exhibition in Chicago in 1893.

Printed sketches, 1910 book Grijspaarse cover in the form of a sketchbook, with title in gold and image of a poppy; cover and bract with pattern of flower and leaf vines in green and brown; title page with women's portrait; 103 sheets, numbered: first page, preface; 1-4, reviews; 1-7, table of contents; Five unnumbered color illustrations; 1-166, black and white illustrations, with eight unnumbered color illustrations inserted; penultimate page, colophon; Last page, advertisement. paper letterpress printing

Eight faces on the province of Omi by Hiroshige, Hiroshige (I), Utagawa, c. 1825 - c. 1835 Book with eight prints, each with a landscape in a fan -shaped cartouche; black cover with handwritten title strip; Four folding sheets with mica, covered on either side with one of the eight prints; Six prints from an 'Omi Hakkei' (eight faces on the province of Omi) series; Two from a 'Edo Hakkei' (eight faces from Edo) series. Japan paper. color woodcut Book with eight prints, each with a landscape in a fan -shaped cartouche; black cover with handwritten title strip; Four folding sheets with mica, covered on either side with one of the eight prints; Six prints from an 'Omi Hakkei' (eight faces on the province of Omi) series; Two from a 'Edo Hakkei' (eight faces from Edo) series. Japan paper. color woodcut

Front cover, no. 7. text. Illustrations, Covers (Illustration). 1923 - 1924. Spencer Collection

C18 Chinese woodcut: Purple deficiency throat

The Mountain is Empty; A Pinecone Falls” late 14th century Zekkai Chūshin 絶海中津書 A single column of dramatically cursive script reads, The mountain is empty, / A pinecone drops.” This short line was taken from a longer poem by Wei Yingwu (737-790), one of the most renowned poets of Tang-dynasty China. It captures the experience of deep solitude in the mountains. The brush dances in a lively manner, yet it creates a relaxed, leisurely tone as it repeatedly angles down from upper right to lower left. These diagonal strokes are especially prominent in the transitions between characters.The author of this work, Zekkai Chūshin, studied Zen with Musō Soseki (1275-1351) but later traveled to China, where he stayed more than ten years. Upon his return home, Zekkai served as abbot of important temples in Kyoto.. The Mountain is Empty; A Pinecone Falls” 60473

This leaflet was first printed on 8 March 1953. The leaflet is designed to stimulate longing for normal human relationships and to create dissension against the government which denies them. The front depicts a photograph of a beautiful woman in a formal silk dress. 500,000 of these leaflets were dropped on the Communist Chinese troops on 14 May 1953, and they were dropped on other earlier occasions. Reportedly, the pretty young woman featured in the leaflet was the very patriotic daughter of a South Korean Minister who had never given his permission for her to be photographed. Allegedly, when the minister saw a copy of the leaflet and heard that it had been dropped all over North Korea he was furious.

Superscription On Envelope That Carried The Thanks Of Wong Yung Ji, 10 Year Old Chinese Schoolboy To The Fighters And Bomber Of The Flying Tigers For What They Are Doing To Help China. Of The Letter Gen. Chennault Wrote To His Air Force, 'It Reflects The

Tumxuk or Tumushuke (Chinese: , Pinyin: Tmshk; Uyghur: ) is a sub-prefecture-level city in the western part of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, surrounded by Kashgar Prefecture.

Chinese woodcut: Instruments of petty surgery (1)

Mei 1920, 1920 book. magazine Number 171 (1920) of the magazine Fujin Gaho: red-white cover with flowering plant; Inside, fold -out frontispies on which female and child with toy car; Second frontispies on which park with lantern and deer. paper letterpress printing

Blood Chits, also called Identification or Rescue Flags, were designed to provide rapid identification of a downed flyer and facilitate assistance from local allies encountered.. A 'blood chit' issued to the American Volunteer Group :Flying Tigers. The Chinese characters read vertically from right to left: This foreign person has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue, protect, and provide him medical care.

June 1909, 1907 book. magazine Number 28 (1909) of the magazine Fujin Gaho: cover with fireflies on reeds, against dark blue background; Inside, frontispies on which woman at Sikkelmaan. paper letterpress printing

Book of Omens. Nepal, circa 1800. Books. Opaque watercolor on paper

Gold Coins 1813 Asakura Sansho Japanese. Gold Coins 54764

Chinese Ship (Tosen Zu) with Listing of the Sea Route from China to Japan Chinese Ship (Tosen Zu) with Listing of the Sea Route from China to Japan, ca. 1850. Color woodblock print on paper, 11 13/16 x 8 5/8 in. (30.0 x 21.9 cm). Asian Art ca. 1850

Fukuro no nezumi, Rats in a bag., Kobayashi, Kiyochika, 1847-1915, artist, 1895., 1 print : woodcut, color ; 37.4 x 25.1 cm., Print shows a Japanese ship, as a cat, chasing two Chinese battleships, as rats, into a bag.

China and Its People. John Thomson; Scottish, 1837-1921. Date: 1873. Dimensions: 47 x 35 cm (page); 48 x 36 x 2.3 cm (covers). Collotypes (96 plates; 218 photographs in all four volumes) and text, volume one of four. Origin: Scotland. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Circular printing presenting flags Japanese sea Self -defense; around 1914 1920 (1914-00-00-1920-00-00);

Cigarette Pack from 1961 South Korea. it was released as a red pack but because some argued that the March 1st Movement's bloody symbol was red, the cigarette company changed the cigarette pack's colour to green in just one month.

Stamp of Gösta Bodman's Philatelist Assignment, commenced 1950.The stamp from Japan, 1947. Motions of the Temple Kayomizu in Kyoto.

China and Its People. John Thomson; Scottish, 1837-1921. Date: 1873. Dimensions: 47 x 35 cm (page); 48.2 x 36 x 2.5 cm (covers). Collotypes (96 plates; 218 photographs in all four volumes) and text, volume two of four. Origin: Scotland. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Banknotes during the Republic of China: banknotes issued by the Beiyang government and the Kuomintang government after the Revolution of 1911.

Raw silk Filature by Tajima Kyodosha, Japan , Silk Labels - Japanese

Ishikawa & Co. Bushu, Japan Raw Silk, Silk Labels - Japanese

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