SEKI (Bunsen).

Bunsen Gafu. [Bunsen's Album].

Possibly a later printing. Complete. Numerous colour woodblock plates. Fukuruto-ji. Original blue covers with ms. title-slips (slightly worn), but very good inside. ii, 19ff. Osaka, Osakaya Shingoro, dated: Kaei 1 [i.e. 1848], 1848.

£750.00

Seki Bunsen (1790-?) was a student and friend of the great artist Tani Buncho (1763-1841). He was active in Kyoto in the first half of the 19th century. Gafu are albums printed to show the essence of a particular artist’s style. This book illustrates genre scenes such as birds, flowers, Mt. Fuji, and mythological characters printed in delicate colours. With a preface by his friend Kamo Suetaka. A follow-up volume was published in 1855. See Mitchell: The Illustrated Books of the Nanga, Maruyama, Shijo and other related Schools of Japan: A Bibliography: pp. 232-234. Brown: Block Printing and Book Illustration in Japan, p. 80-81.

Stock No.
256373