An original Meiji-period Japanese painting manual featuring refined sumi-e and light color illustrations of plants, birds, animals, and everyday scenes. A scarce and complete Volume 5 from the classic instructional series Shūsho Hyakudai.
This authentic Japanese art book is titled 「習書百題 第五」 (Shūsho Hyakudai, Volume Five), a structured painting and drawing practice album produced in the late Meiji period (early 20th century).
The series Shūsho Hyakudai (“One Hundred Practice Subjects”) was designed to train students in brush control, composition, subject variety, and balance, bridging traditional Edo-period painting methods with modern Meiji-era art education.
This volume includes illustrated studies of:
- Flowering branches and plants
- Birds in flight and at rest
- Small animals (including dog and turtle)
- Bamboo and foliage studies
- Genre scenes of everyday life (fisherman, figures in motion)
The illustrations are executed in soft sumi ink with restrained hand-applied color, emphasizing form and movement rather than heavy pigment. Many plates bear red artist seals, enhancing both authenticity and visual appeal.
The final pages clearly identify the art book publisher 芸艸堂 (Unsōdō), a major Kyoto-based publisher of fine art books, along with a Meiji cyclical date inscription (明治戊戌晩春 – late spring of a Meiji year), firmly placing this volume in the early 1900s.
This is not a modern reproduction, but an original Meiji-era instructional art book, preserved in honest, age-appropriate condition.
DETAILS
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Title (Japanese): 習書百題 第五
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Title (Romanized): Shūsho Hyakudai, Volume 5
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Translation: One Hundred Practice Subjects for Painting – Vol. 5
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Genre: Japanese painting manual / art study album
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Language: Japanese
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Illustration Style: Sumi-e with light color
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Subjects: Plants, birds, animals, genre scenes
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Publisher: 芸艸堂 (Unsōdō, Kyoto)
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Period: Meiji period (late, early 20th century)
Volumes of Shūsho Hyakudai represent an important moment in Japanese art education, combining classical brush traditions with standardized study themes.
Original Meiji-period examples are increasingly scarce due to:
- Heavy classroom use
- Fragile washi paper
- Limited survival outside Japan
This volume is particularly attractive for:
- Japanese art collectors
- Sumi-e and nihonga practitioners
- Museum or academic collections
- Collectors of Meiji-era educational books
