Kusabana-e zenshū 艸花繪前集 [草花絵前集]

Variant title: Kusabana-e zensho 草花繪全書 [草花絵全書]. Author/compiler: Itō Ihē 伊藤伊兵衞. Imprint: [Edo] , Suhara Mohē, Genroku 12, 1699. Kanki on fol. 19b of maki 下 reads: 元禄十二卯十月吉日 ／ 東武江北染井 ／ 耕人伊兵衛圖 ／ 須原茂兵衛梓. Description: 3 kan, formerly in 3 satsu, now rebound in 1 vol. western style. (Maki 上) ff. [1] (序), 17; (maki 中) ff. 19; (maki 下) ff. 19. 26.9 x 18.5 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 22.6 x 16.5 cm. (average). Single-line borders. No printed hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed furigana and dakuten. Variable no. of lines to page and characters to line. Original mid-blue front cover of maki 上 only, with original printed title slip on left. Gedai, with tsunogaki in a roundel: 草形出生 (角書) 草花繪全書. Title from head of preface. No other naidai. Maki and folio numbering printed at inner edge of each folio recto. Edition: The only pre-modern edition. Contents: A collection of illustrations of plants in flower, with brief descriptive captions. Preface, presumably by Itō Ihē, is signed and dated as follows: 元禄己卯小春の日武陽染井之野夫書之. A 3-line endnote by the same hand precedes the kanki quoted above.

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Acquired from William Anderson, 21 March 1894.

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993).C.Japanese works 和書 14.Physical sciences 自然科学 b.Botany, including materia medica 本草学

Honzō kankei tosho mokuroku 本草関係図書目録, pp. 23 (Shirai), 20 (Ueno).