Limited edition, no. 102 of 120 copies, signed. Illustrations all printed in stencil (kappa-ban). Folio measuring 360 by 300mm. Modified yamato-toji binding , quarter silk brocade with stencil printed paper wrapper covered boards, protected in blue silk furoshiki wrapping cloth and encased in a signed wooden box, faint foxing to edges, a near fine copy. Unpaginated, [16]ff. Tokyo, Seien-so, Showa 24 [i.e, 1949.
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 that could only have been achieved by a highly accomplished printmaker and artist. It is highly rare to find a copy with an original signed box.
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. 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 2 copies in OCLC (Harvard & Hawaii).
