Katsushika Isai - Banmotsu Zukai – Isai Gashiki (萬物圖解 扇齋畫式) - 1864

A significant Japanese artist’s and model book from the late Edo period—the rare first edition of the famous Isai Gashiki by Katsushika Isai, presented with numerous finely cut woodcuts of nature, landscapes, animals, figures, and scenes of everyday life in impressive variety.

First edition. Publisher: Edo: Yamatoya Kihei (大和屋喜兵衛), Genji 1 (1864). Volume II (二帙 全). Original Japanese woodblock printing (xylographic book printing) in the traditional Fukuro-toji binding. 33 pages with numerous, partly full-page and partly small-scale woodcut illustrations. 23 x 15 cm
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The famous “Isai Gashiki” ranks among the classic Japanese drawing and teaching books (ehon or gafu) of the late Edo period. The author is the Ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Isai (1821–1880), one of the significant pupils of the legendary Katsushika Hokusai. The work served artists, wood engravers, craftspeople, and students as a comprehensive model book and powerfully conveys the visual language of the Hokusai school.

Under the title “Banmotsu Zukai” (“Illustrated Representation of All Things”) the work gathers a wide variety of motifs: landscapes, figures, plants, animals, birds, mythological beings, as well as decorative and ornamental patterns. The finely cut woodcuts combine didactic character with high artistic quality and provide an authentic glimpse into the training of Japanese artists in the mid-19th century. The work was announced as a four-volume textbook, but Volumes III and IV never appeared. They are only announced in the publisher’s catalog.

Katsushika Isai was among the most important representatives of the late Hokusai school. His drawing books achieved wide distribution and exerted considerable influence on later generations of Japanese artists. Original editions are rarely found for sale outside Japan and are increasingly valued as standalone Ukiyo-e works.
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Paper fresh and mostly clean, the woodcuts printed in strong, high-contrast ink. Minor age-related signs of use, occasional slight browning. Overall a very well-preserved copy of this rare original edition.