古今和漢萬寶全書 (Kokin Wakan Manpō Zensho) — The Complete Collection of Treasures, Ancient and Modern, Japanese and Chinese — is an exceptional Edo-period woodblock-printed compendium that embodies the refined aesthetic and intellectual culture of 19th-century Japan.
This beautifully bound fukurotoji (thread-bound) volume serves as a visual and textual encyclopedia of tea ceremony utensils, ceramics, scholar’s tools, and refined cultural arts. Its pages combine calligraphic annotations with precise woodblock illustrations, documenting the forms, proportions, and symbolism of traditional objects used in daily and ceremonial life — from tea jars and bowls to inkstones, scroll boxes, and incense burners.
Printed in black sumi ink on handmade washi paper, and protected by its deep indigo-blue cover with original title slip, this volume reflects the Edo fascination with the meeting of Japanese and Chinese classical traditions (和漢). Each section blends artistic precision and moral study, showing how aesthetics were considered an extension of ethical refinement and scholarly virtue.
Volumes of Kokin Wakan Manpō Zensho were circulated among tea masters, literati, and temple scholars, prized as reference works for the study of elegance, craftsmanship, and philosophy. This copy remains in authentic Edo-era condition, with strong impressions and gentle wear consistent with age — a genuine artifact of Japan’s cultural Golden Age.
A masterful Edo woodblock encyclopedia bridging art, philosophy, and the tea ceremony, Kokin Wakan Manpō Zensho distills centuries of cultural wisdom into one precious volume.
Its detailed illustrations and elegant script make it a museum-worthy work and a highly collectible reference for historians and lovers of Japanese aesthetics.
