Edo Period Comic Banzuke Booklet - 1841

Antique Japanese Woodblock Printed Booklet — Edo Period Comic Ranking Publication (Banzuke), Dated Tenpo 12 (1841), Osaka Imprint

Description

A rare and charming antique Japanese woodblock-printed booklet in the banzuke (ranking list) format, featuring multiple pages of comic and satirical content styled after sumo tournament rankings. Dating to Tenpo 12 (1841), late Edo period.

Content

Each spread presents a different humorous "tournament" — including rankings of foolish behavior (ahou no kata), the miserly (shimatsuno hana), and various Edo-era social types — all arranged in the east/west format of an official sumo banzuke with ranks such as ōzeki, komusubi, and maegashira. One spread carries the title Shokoku Keigo Gonatashoku (Rankings of Officials Across the Provinces), and the colophon page bears a date of Tenpo 12, 12th month, with publisher attribution to Naniwa (Osaka).

Format & cover

Bound as a chūbon-sized booklet (approx. 17 × 11.7 cm), which is uncommon — the vast majority of banzuke survive only as single large sheets. The cover features a color woodblock illustration of a bamboo gate with pine trees, printed in red, green, and black.

Condition

Age-toned throughout with some insect damage (worm holes) to several pages. Binding intact. Text remains largely legible. Sold as an antique document in used condition; please refer to all photographs.