Sekino Junichiro’s illustrated edition of one of the earliest examples of Japanese literature. Limited to only 120 copies, the present title is a fine production in a notably large format.
Sekino’s book draws its story from the middle section (or ‘Nakatsumaki’) of the Kojiki. Translated to English as ‘Record of Ancient Matters’, the Kojiki is an early collection of folkloric stories, ancient customs and genealogies, compiled in the 8th century by the court scholar Ono Yasumaro. Written in three parts, the middle section details the establishment of an imperial line by the first Emperor Jimmu.
The first part of Sekino’s book is entirely illustrated, with a small section of text at the back. The technical range shown in this book offers and impressive view of what is achievable with stencils. In one plate he has carefully arranged loose string so that when the ink is pressed through the stencil a fine line appears in the print. While the overall effect of printing from stencils is similar to katazome, the key difference with kappa-ban is that is is printed/pressed through the stencil rather than dyed through the gaps with an ink and bush.
In his afterword, he writes how he wanted to create a book using a story from the Kamakura period (1185–1333) as a departure from the busyness of modern life in Japan. He writes how, bent over his desk, as he was painstakingly cutting the stencils, he felt as though he was a painter from the Kamakura period and enjoyed an immense sense of calm.
Only 3 copies in OCLC (The Met, Harvard & Hawaii).
