Antique Edo Japanese illustrated woodblock book, Tenpo period, 1832–1833, Shotei Kinsui, Teisai Sencho, set of 8 volumes

“Ukiyo shingata koi no hanagatami” (“A new-style ukiyo collection of love stories”)

An illustrated book from the late Edo period, produced using traditional Japanese woodblock printing. The work belongs to the ninjobon genre, a form of popular prose of the first half of the nineteenth century focused on human emotions, social relationships, and romantic narratives.

“Ukiyo shingata koi no hanagatami” is a multi-volume novel printed from carved wooden blocks. Text and images were produced as part of a single publishing project. The volumes contain a substantial number of illustrations, including color woodblock prints, characteristic of well-produced urban publications of the Edo period.

The set consists of 8 individual volumes. The original series comprised 9 volumes; the present set is incomplete. Loss of individual volumes is common for Edo-period books that circulated in everyday use.

Author
Shotei Kinsui was a professional writer active in the late Edo period, working primarily in the yomihon and ninjobon genres. His works were issued in serialized form and intended for a broad urban readership. He occupied a stable position within the commercial publishing environment of the early nineteenth century.

Illustrator
Teisai Sencho was an Edo-period book illustrator active approximately from the 1830s to the 1850s. He worked within the ukiyo-e tradition and specialized in illustrations for printed books and popular fiction. He is recorded as a pupil of Ikeda Eisen, a leading master of bijin-ga in the first half of the nineteenth century. His style reflects this artistic lineage and was adapted to the format of woodblock-printed book illustration.

Historical significance
The work represents a characteristic example of Edo-period popular illustrated literature. Such books played an important role in shaping literary taste and visual culture among the urban population of Japan in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Condition: antique condition. The volumes show natural signs of age, including paper toning, surface wear, localized staining, damage to individual pages, and traces of insect activity. No modern restoration is observed.

Size of one volume (approx.): 12 × 18 × 0.8 cm.

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

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