A vivid Meiji-period Japanese illustrated book (草双紙 / kusazōshi) blending text and woodblock art in the style of Utagawa Kunisada’s (Toyokuni III) school.
The cover, printed in rich red, indigo, and violet pigments, portrays a bijin (beautiful woman) holding a wooden sword against a seaside backdrop, a powerful symbol of honor and tragedy often found in Kabuki-inspired narratives.
Inside, the book combines woodblock illustrations and vertical text in kuzushiji script, depicting elegant women, samurai, and domestic interiors.
Scenes include musical instruments such as shamisen, writing tools, and lanterns, showcasing daily and theatrical life in late Edo and early Meiji Japan.
Each page is printed on handmade washi paper, bound with the traditional fukuro-toji (stab binding) technique, retaining its authentic patina and worming patterns typical of 19th-century woodblock editions.
Produced around c.1875, this book represents the transition from Edo’s vibrant ukiyo-e publishing culture to Meiji Japan’s modernization era.
Writers like Kinzo (勤造) and artists of the Toyokuni / Kunisada lineage were instrumental in keeping classical kabuki-e and bijin-ga alive during a time of Western influence and technological change.
These kusazōshi served as popular entertainment, merging the visual storytelling of woodblock prints with serialized drama, romance, and morality tales for a broad audience.
An evocative artifact of Edo-Meiji literary and artistic continuity, this volume encapsulates the grace and drama of Japanese illustrated fiction.
Its association with the Utagawa Kunisada tradition and the author Kinzo adds high cultural and historical value for collectors of woodblock books, Kabuki prints, and 19th-century Japanese storytelling.
A rare survivor of Japan’s transitional publishing age — where traditional ukiyo-e artistry met the early modern world.
