Condition. The book is in Very Good condition. There is a vertical crease on the front cover. Internally there is scattered light foxing, almost all of which is limited to the margins of the plates. No cuts, tears or marking. All the pages are solid and unbroken/unsevered at the fold.

 
Ogawa, K.
Takashima, S (descriptions):
Illustrations of Japanese Life, Tokyo, K. Ogawa, descriptions by S. Takashima, Meiji 29 (1896), 1st Edition, 8vo (7 1/2 x 10 1/4 in - 19.3 x 25.9 cm), crepe paper, 12 hand colored collotypes, with yellow silk ties, 7 folded leaves with stiffener paper in between, the front and back cover are not folded pages, 14 pages in total (covers not counted). This is one in a series of collotype books with this same title published by K. Ogawa.

The first folded page has the Title Page (front) and Preface (back). The six folded pages that follow have a photographic image, reproduced in collotype, front and back. The focus of this book is on trades and industries of Japan. The photographs include: 1) The "Hatsuni" (The First Stock of New Year's Goods), 2) An Ox Cart, 3) Carpenters at Work, 4) Porcelain Ware Shop, 5) A Vegetable Dealer, 6) The "Kakubeshishi," 7) Farmers in the Rice Swamp, 8) Rice Planting, 9) "Hakimono" (Clogs), 10) Vegetable Dealer's Shop, 11) Farmers in a Yard & 12) The "Kago" (The Palanquin) While the picture areas vary slightly, the norm is 7 x 5 1/2 in - 17.8 x 13.4 cm. The collotypes images are all printed against a light yellow background and have been handcolored.

In the preface, K. Ogawa states:

I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to Messrs. Tamamura and S. Kajima, as well as Prof. Burton, for several of the plates in this volume.

Many editions of these books were published and can be identified by the Japanese colophons inside the back cover. Some of the later editions did not contain an identical set of images or the images were presented in a different order. The plates shown below designated with an "*" and "**" contain different images from those found in later editions of this book. For more information on later editions of this book, click here.

For information on Kazumasa Ogawa, click here.

Title Page:


Preface:



All 12 Plates

The "Hatsuni" (The First Stock of New Year's Goods)


An Ox Cart


Carpenters at Work


Porcelain Ware Shop


A Vegetable Dealer


The "Kakubeshishi" *


Farmers in the Rice Swamp


Rice Planting


"Hakimono" (Clogs)


Vegetable Dealer's Shop


Farmers in a Yard


The "Kago" (The Palanquin) **


*   Not found in some later editions of this book
**  Same title but different image found in some later editions of this book


Colophon:

Meiji 29 (1896).6.22 - 1st edition printed
Meiji 29 (1896).6.25 - 1st edition published 


Captions of Plates (Without Images):

The "Hatsuni" (The First Stock of New Year's Goods)
An Ox Cart
Carpenters at Work
Porcelain Ware Shop
A Vegetable Dealer
The "Kakubeshishi" *
Farmers in the Rice Swamp
Rice Planting
"Hakimono" (Clogs)
Vegetable Dealer's Shop
Farmers in a Yard
The "Kago" (The Palanquin) **


*   Not found in some later editions of this book
**  Same title but different image found in some later editions of this book