Antique Edo Japanese woodblock book, illustrated, Shōtei Kinsui, Utagawa Kunimaro, single volume, #5

“The Moon Over the Harbor”

Original Japanese woodblock printed book from the late Edo period.
Genre: ninjobon.
Single volume from a multi-volume work; offered individually.
Printed from carved woodblocks.

About the author
Shōtei Kinsui was one of the key writers of the ninjobon genre in late Edo Japan. His works occupy a stable position within the corpus of nineteenth-century urban popular literature and are recorded in major academic and library collections. Kinsui is regarded by scholars as an important figure in the literary landscape of his time.

About the illustrator
Utagawa Kunimaro was an artist of the Utagawa school, active in the mid-nineteenth century. He is best known as a master of book illustration and woodblock printing, representing the publishing tradition of ukiyo-e. His works are preserved in museum and research collections as characteristic examples of Edo-period book graphics.

Genre and historical significance
Ninjobon is a major genre of late Edo popular prose, produced for a wide urban readership and published as illustrated woodblock-printed books. Such works are important historical sources for the study of reading culture, publishing practices, and the visual environment of nineteenth-century Japan. Original ninjobon volumes are valued as authentic documents of Edo-period literary and printing culture.

Condition
Antique condition. The book shows natural signs of age, including overall toning of the paper, localized traces of moisture exposure, damage to individual pages, and evidence of insect activity, consistent with the historical life of an authentic Edo-period woodblock-printed book.

Size
Size (approx.): 12 × 18 × 0.8 cm.

Shipping
Safe and tracked shipping from Latvia (Riga Gallery of Japanese Art CloudyYokomido).

For US buyers: this item enters the United States duty-free.