A series of stylish couples, printed and hand-coloured in a large format by Kawakami. According to the bibliography, Kawakami printed a few of the couples from the same blocks which he presented as a triptych at the second Rengo bijutsuten in 1948 (a group show of contemporary artists). The Emperor and Empress visited this exhibition, and it was noted that they stopped to comment on Kawakami’s piece.
Kawakami had a fascination with couples and dress. Many of his books, especially those on the theme of ‘nanban’ (‘southern barbarians’, but really an antiquated term for Western foreigners) included illustrations of couples, arm in arm, wearing a variety of flamboyant clothing. The present book is especially vibrant, and the larger format allowed Kawakami to depict clothing with finer details and more colouring. Though there is no text, there is a vague storyline as the couples move from traditional kimono, to Western dress and a hybrid of the two.
It is worth noting that there are variations with the printed title slip on the binding. In the case of the present copy, the title is in roman letters ‘HVTARIZVRE’ and the picture shows Adam and Eve walking away from a discerning Angel Gabriel. Other extant examples of the title slips show two cranes in flight.
Extremely rare. No copies in OCLC.
