Antique Japanese illustrated woodblock book, Edo period, ninjobon, 1848–1854, Santō Kyōden, Toyokuni, Utagawa Kunisada, single volume

“Haru no fumikakushi no sōshi” — “Spring Secret Letters”

Antique Japanese illustrated book produced using traditional woodblock printing.
Single volume from the series Haru no fumikakushi no sōshi.
Illustrated Japanese book printed from carved wooden blocks on traditional paper.

Period: Edo period, 1848–1854
Technique: woodblock print
Format: illustrated book, single volume

Author
The work was written by Santō Kyōden, a prominent writer of popular urban literature and a key figure in the development of the ninjobon genre during the Edo period.

Illustrations
The book contains woodblock-printed illustrations by Toyokuni and Utagawa Kunisada, artists of the Utagawa school.

Significance
Haru no fumikakushi no sōshi represents Edo-period popular illustrated literature and provides material for the study of commercial publishing, reading culture, and visual narrative traditions of nineteenth-century Japan.

Condition
Antique condition. Natural signs of age are present, including paper toning, traces of insect activity, surface wear, and worn covers, consistent with the historical use of an authentic Edo-period woodblock-printed book.

Size (approx.): 12 × 18 × 0.7 cm

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

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