The journey of tobacco from Western traders into the Japanese market, by a leading mingei woodblock artist.
Sumio Kawakami (1895-1972) was born in Yokohama, a port city known for its bustling mix of cultures. From a young age Kawakami was intrigued by Western merchants and the importation of Dutch, Portuguese and British goods into Japan. After the tragic passing of his mother, he followed his father’s advise, and travelled around Canada for a year, taking a sketchbook and writing poetry. Returning to Japan, he began to teach English at a school in Tochigi prefecture. He remained a high school teacher throughout his life, with particular enthusiasm for coaching baseball.
It was during his early days in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, that Kawakami discovered a love of printing and binding books. He set up a small private press workshop across the street from his home which he named after his favourite Italian poet, Boccaccio. Kawakami’s work, both as a visual artist and poet, was greatly admired by the mingei theorist Soetsu Yanagi, and he was invited to contribute to the influential craft publication Kogei on several occasions. He produced 77 books at the Boccaccio press, of which the present title is the 21st.
It is particularly interesting to note the subject matter of this book – Western trade and the introduction of tobacco – with its contemporary context in 1943, at a point when Japan was engrossed in World War II. At the time there was a growing sentiment in Japan that the English language should be banned, and that Western influence be rejected altogether. Kawakami’s work is often characterised by the blending of Japanese and Western influences, making commentary on the beauty and incongruity of these interactions. The present work expresses a quiet rebellion against the prevailing anti-Western sentiment in Japan. It is a reminder to the Japanese reader of the ‘common ground’ of smoking, which was introduced to Japan by Western traders.
The book contains a separate, loosely-inserted typographic print, comprising of eight poems written by Kawakami. Each of the poems corresponds to a plate in the book, and so the reader is encouraged to turn through the images, with the poetry sheet to hand.
Very rare. Only two copies in OCLC.
