An extraordinary Edo-period woodblock-printed educational book titled 女大学宝箱 (Onna Daigaku Takarabako, “The Treasure Box of Women’s Learning”), a moral and literary guide designed for women and girls in 19th-century Japan.
This work belongs to the same moral tradition as the renowned Onna Daigaku (The Greater Learning for Women), a text attributed to Kaibara Ekiken. It was widely used during the late Edo period to instruct women in Confucian virtues—benevolence (仁), righteousness (義), courtesy (礼), wisdom (智), and faith (信)—beautifully symbolized on the title page with a color woodblock of a phoenix and kirin, both auspicious mythological creatures.
Printed circa the Tenpō to Kaei eras (1830s–1850s), the book combines hand-colored illustrations, moral aphorisms, and daily-life scenes that portray ideal feminine behavior—devotion to family, modesty, etiquette, and education.
The book also includes delightful landscape vignettes and seasonal illustrations, demonstrating the Edo aesthetic of balance between didacticism and beauty.
The blue paper cover with handwritten label shows authentic age wear, evoking the tactile charm of traditional Japanese printing and binding techniques.
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Title: 女大学宝箱 (Onna Daigaku Takarabako – “The Treasure Box of Women’s Learning”)
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Type: Moral and educational text for women
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Period: Late Edo period (circa 1830s–1850s)
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Publisher: 良祐書肆 (Ryōyū Shoshi, Kyoto or Osaka)
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Printing method: Woodblock printing on washi paper, with partial hand-coloring
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Binding: Original fukurotoji (bound-pocket) blue cover with handwritten title slip
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Language: Classical Japanese (kana majiri style)
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Content: Illustrated Confucian ethics, seasonal poems, and domestic scenes
Onna Daigaku Takarabako reflects the Confucian moral education of women during the Edo period — emphasizing harmony within family life and social order.
Books of this kind were not only educational manuals but also artistic expressions, often enriched with woodblock illustrations showing women performing domestic duties, seasonal customs, or engaging in moral dialogues.
The hand-colored scenes and mythical creatures highlight the syncretism between ethics, folklore, and art that characterized Edo popular publishing.
This piece offers collectors a remarkable window into Edo Japan’s social values, print culture, and gender roles, and serves as a museum-grade artifact of early Japanese educational literature.
