Warabeuta Myōmyōguruma (The Wheel of Causation, 童謡妙々車), a late-Edo Period llustrated novel (kusazōshi, 草双紙). This is volume 21 of a 25-volume series, published in the final year of the Tokugawa shogunate, on the eve of the Meiji Restoration. The elaborately-illustrated kusazōshi were written for a mass audience, like the manga popular in Japan today. And, like Western mass paperbacks, from penny dreadfuls to pulp fiction, they were an important part of literature and culture of their time.
The story, written by Ryūtei Tanehiko II (柳亭種彥, c. 1806-1868), revolves around the romantic adventures of Princess Uzuki and the hero, Shidoroku. The illustrations are by the legendary ukiyo-e (woodblock) artist Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞, 1786–1865). Kunisada was the most popular and prolific designer of ukiyo-e prints of the late Edo Period, and a leader of the famous Utagawa school. He was renowned for his striking, dramatically-expressive characters, his beautifully-detailed tableaux, and for his bold use of color. Excellent condition.
Warabeuta Myōmyōguruma (The Wheel of Causation, 童謡妙々車), a late-Edo Period llustrated novel (kusazōshi, 草双紙). This is volume 21 of a 25-volume series, published in the final year of the Tokugawa shogunate, on the eve of the Meiji Restoration. The elaborately-illustrated kusazōshi were written for a mass audience, like the manga popular in Japan today. And, like Western mass paperbacks, from penny dreadfuls to pulp fiction, they were an important part of literature and culture of their time.
The story, written by Ryūtei Tanehiko II (柳亭種彥, c. 1806-1868), revolves around the romantic adventures of Princess Uzuki and the hero, Shidoroku. The illustrations are by the legendary ukiyo-e (woodblock) artist Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞, 1786–1865). Kunisada was the most popular and prolific designer of ukiyo-e prints of the late Edo Period, and a leader of the famous Utagawa school. He was renowned for his striking, dramatically-expressive characters, his beautifully-detailed tableaux, and for his bold use of color. Excellent condition.
