Taniguchi Kōkyō and others - Kōgei zukan (工藝圖鑑) - 1891

Taniguchi Kōkyō and others - Kōgei zukan (Illustrated designs for the decorative arts), 3 volumes - Woodblock printed design books - Unsōdō - Japan - Meiji to Taishō period

Three volumes of "Kōgei zukan" (工藝圖鑑, Illustrated designs for the decorative arts), a Japanese woodblock-printed pattern book intended as a source of designs for craftsmen and artists working in textiles, lacquer, ceramics and metalwork.

Volume 1 is by the Kyoto painter Taniguchi Kōkyō (1864-1915), and volumes 2 and 3 are by other artists, as named on the title slips. The volumes bear the stamp of the Kyoto publisher and distributor Unsōdō (芸艸堂), one of the most important publishers of Japanese design books, with addresses in Teramachi Nijō, Kyoto, and Yushima, Tokyo.

The plates reproduce traditional Japanese and Chinese ornament, including designs from temple treasures such as those of Tenryū-ji in Kyoto. Subjects include lions among scrolling peonies, dragons in clouds, phoenixes, Chinese children at play, flowering arabesques, roundels and geometric patterns, and a Rinpa-style design of ivy leaves on a flowing stream after Ogata Kōrin. Most plates are printed in black line, with some printed on grey grounds or with soft colour.

Details
3 volumes, Japanese fukuro-toji thread binding
Covers of beige paper printed with cloud motifs, with printed title slips numbered 1 to 3
Publisher/distributor: Unsōdō, Kyoto and Tokyo
Period: Meiji to Taishō period (1868-1926)

Condition
Antique condition with wear consistent with age:
- Soiling, foxing and staining to the covers, with wear to the edges and corners
- Scattered foxing and occasional small stains to the pages, including one brown stain at the top of a leaf
- Toning to the page edges
- A pencilled price note on one endpaper
The bindings are intact. Please examine all photos carefully, as they form part of the description.

Shipping
Ships from Kyoto, Japan, via EMS (Japan Post) or FedEx, fully tracked and insured, carefully packed. Import duties and taxes, if any, are the buyer's responsibility.