Maggs Bros. Ltd.

One of the most extraordinary illustrated books produced during the late Edo period.

Silhouettes are fascinating because they somehow manage to show the essence of an individual while showing nothing but the outline of the head. 'Kuma naki kage' features eighty-two silhouette portraits of members of the 'Koga-awase' salon, including short biographies, picture riddles, and haikai poems for each subject. The book was produced in honour of Hagetsutei Kasetsu (dates unknown), a patron of Koga-awase, who had died three years earlier. Most of the members of the salon were noted literary and cultural figures at the time, both male and female. Each was given a theme related to one of the kanji that made up Kasetsu’s name (“wave”, “moon”, “flower”, & “snow”) which were then paired with one of the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, or water), to create a riddle. The images at the top right corner of each portrait are the club members’ respective riddle submissions.

The frontispiece shows a shadow portrait of Kasetsu hanging in an alcove together with a flower arrangement and an incense burner to indicate mourning. This image is signed by Shibata Zesshin (1807-1891). The rest of the portraits are attributed to Ochiai Yoshiiku (1833-1904). Rare. Only 6 copies in OCLC.