An exquisite Meiji-period Japanese book dedicated to the art of 盆景 (bonkei) — miniature tray landscapes that recreate nature’s harmony in small scale.
This volume, 盆景名画集 (Bonkei Meigashū) or “Collection of Famous Bonsai Landscape Designs,” presents a refined series of ink-drawn compositions depicting mountains, rivers, islands, and clouds, framed within elegant oval cartouches.
Each page serves as a visual reference for bonsai and landscape artists, teaching balance, rhythm, and negative space — the same aesthetic principles found in Japanese painting, calligraphy, and Zen garden design.
Printed on soft handmade washi paper, bound in brown fukurotoji stitching with subtle embossed motifs on the cover, this book embodies the quiet elegance of Meiji-era craftsmanship.
A red seal signature and handwritten inscriptions reveal its origin within the Hosokawa school tradition, known for cultivating the aesthetic of nature in miniature form.
This is not merely a manual, but a poetic meditation on landscape and impermanence — a visual guide to harmony, proportion, and simplicity.
A rare and beautifully preserved Meiji-period reference book for bonsai and miniature landscape design. Ideal for collectors of Japanese art, calligraphy, and garden aesthetics, and a striking example of Japan’s artistic minimalism expressed through ink and paper.
