SEIKEI ZUSETSU: ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF AGRICULTURE. [Woodblock-Printed & Illustrate

Osaka 1804, Hanfu Shorin. Stitched yellow stiff wrs.,30 vol. set, 19.7 x 26.5 cm.,title slips,2 indigo-blue folding cloth Chitsu cases, bone clasps, clean covers a few dusty,contents very clean & bright, complete set. RARE FIRST & ONLY EDITION . *** **** *** . . THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE BOTANICAL EVER DONE IN JAPAN . . . THIS IS THE MOST FAMOUS SINGLE & COMPREHENSIVE . . . LOST OF ALL KNOWN JAPANESE PLANTS . . . RESEARCH BEGUN IN 1793, 30 VOLS. PUBLISHED IN 1804 . * This famous, stunning and copiously illustrated work remains one of the most important botanicals ever done in Japan. It is considered the most comprehensive and reliable work on the subject ever done in Japan. Complete in 30 volumes. . * This superb work was initiated in Kansei 5th year [1793] by order of Shimazu Shigehide [1745-1833], the Daimyo of Satsuma, the Feudal Lord [Tycoon]. This area is now Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu. The work was edited by Soh, Han, [aka.: by his "studio" or "go" name: Soh Senshun 1758-1834]. . Lord of Shimazu ordered a comprehensive illustrated encyclopedic treatise on agriculture and agricultural botany. The work had an ambitious task, to list every known plant in Japan, with drawings of a large number of examples. The original plan was to print a set of 100 illustrated volumes, however, due to natural disasters: fire, insect infestation a large number of the original woodblocks were destroyed. Replacement wood for additional blocks were scarce, thus the final set was limited to 30 volumes. Nevertheless, this set continues to be the most comprehensive and reliable single resource on the subject from that time. It is a very rare set, seldom found. . *** EDITORS: The work was edited by SOH Han, [a.k.a.: Soh Senshun] [1758-1834]: With assistance of the co-editor, SHIRAO [Kunihashira Saizo] Kokuchu [1762-1821].. . *** DISASTER DURING THE COMPILATION OF THIS WORK: This work was to be the greatest work of botany every published, but was interrupted twice by fire. never progressed beyond the 30 volumes. The work suffered two fires in 1806, and again in 1829. These fires destroyed a great number of the book's woodcut blocks, along with a large number of printed pages stored in a warehouse which burned to the ground. It dealt with agricultural botany, and a few wild food plants. . *** THE SUBJECTS: This lovely set of 30 volumes is profusely illustrated. They show agricultural ceremonies, festivals, planting and tending crops, surveying, irrigation, flood control, farm implements, varieties of rice and various agricultural products. . THE INCLUSION OF SOME FOREIGN GRAINS & CORN: The work is nicely described & illustrated in Bartlett [see below] as exhibit 33. Figure 29 shows four pages from this work. It also included a bizarre and unusual form of American Indian Maize [i.e. corn] from the new world, known in Japan as Mamekibi. It also shows two other foreign grains: Tobiki or T'ang millet, and Namban millet from the land of the Portuguese or "Southern Barbarians." Also Koma-kibi a Korean millet from the old name Koma for Korea. . The corn was fried in a pan to make "pop-corn" an early record of this kind of usage and food. It may even predate the American usage of corn. . *** THE CONTENTS: The contents also deals with the agricultural ceremonies and festivals, planting and tending crops, surveying, irrigation, flood control, farm implements, verities of rice ad various agricultural products. . *** This is the FIRST & ONLY RARE EDITION of this title. . *** CONDITION: The set is uniformly bound in stiff yellow stitched wrappers. The first volume covers are dusty front & back; vol.2 & 11 have some stains on the front covers, back covers clean. Vol.8 a bit of stain & spots to lower front cover, back cover clean. Else all other volumes are exceptionally clean both front and back covers. . The contents are bright and clean, no worming or other issues. Registry and impression very good. By and large a very nice set ! . *** ALTERNATE PUBLISHERS: These are the alternate publishers: So-ya Kyubei and Iyo-ya Zenbei in Osaka. . *** Color photos are posted to our website, including two references: "illus08.jpg" to our site taken from from Rudolph and Bartlett, see below for their details. . *** REFERENCE: . KERLEN, H. CATALOGUE OF PRE-MEIJI JAPANESE BOOKS & MAPS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS, p.588-589, #1426. * BARTLETT, Harley H. JAPANESE BOTANY DURING THE PERIOD OF WOOD-BLOCK PRINTING, p.149, exhibit no.33, illustrated on a full page as figure 29, pp.68-69.. * Richard C. Rudolph.: ILLUSTRATED BOTANICAL WORKS IN CHINA AND JAPAN, p.116, figure 4. This is an article published in: BUCKMAN, Thomas R. ed.: BIBLIOGRAPHY & NATURAL HISTORY: Essays Presented at a Conference Convened in June 1964. * KSM (Nogyo) hakubutsu 5-78-3 * Kraft: vol.1,no.623 [Nojibu], vol.3, no.582. *** . (Inventory #: 35023101)