First edition. 42 issues. (Missing issue Dec 1876, Oct/Nov '77, title of Jan '78, March/Apr./May/June/July/Sept/Nov. '78, Jan '79, & tp. of June '79 issue. Lithograph illustrations throughout. Folio (25x35cm). Original flexible boards with printed title-label, slightly worn edges. Original title-pages bound in. Light creasing and occasional water-staining. A few marginal pencil annotations in a contemporary hand, but overall still a very good copy. Unpaginated. Yokohama, R. Meiklejohn, May 1876-December, 1880.
A substantial collection of issues covering over four years of this famous satirical magazine. Charles Wirgman (1832?-1891) came to Japan in 1857 as correspondent and illustrator for the Illustrated London News. He settled in Yokohama and founded the Japan Punch in May 1862 aiming at the foreign community. Readership must have been very limited in 1862 and the magazine ceased publication for several years before commencing again in August 1865 to continue for over 20 years until March 1887. All issues comprise 10-11 leaves (incl. title). Initially issues appear to have been printed from carved woodblocks however by the '70s the publisher Meiklejohn used a lithographic reproduction process. The content focusses on political affairs of the day as well as commenting on cultural relations between foreigners and Japanese. Political satire was largely unheard of and the present magazine had a strong influence on the development of Manga culture in Japan. Rare.
