Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller

A Model Japanese Villa [INSCRIBED AND SIGNED]

Ogawa, Kazumasa

Tokyo: Published by the author, 1899 (Meiji 32). First and only edition. Softcover. Large oblong quarto (14 3/4 x 11 1/2"). [1] leaf (Title), [15] leaves (Plates). Original string-bound stiff wrappers covered with decorative rice paper, with title pasted on front cover. Title inscribed in French and signed by Commander K. Moriyama, naval attaché to the Japanese Embassy in Paris: "A Mademoiselle Malo-Lefèbvre, Avec mes meilleurs souhaits pour joyeux Noël et heureuse année 1909. K. Moriyama." The striking 15 plates containing 19 hand-colored collotype images present various aspects of an upper class Japanese residence (villa). All aspects of the home are covered from the inside formal rooms down to the villa's grounds. Particular emphasis is placed on the gardens and chrysanthemum in beds and in pots.The collotype images vary in size. The single image plates are approximately 10 x 7 1/2~8". Two of the collotypes are oval images approximately the same width as the large rectangular images. The collotypes on the two pages with multiple images are each 4 x 5 1/2". Each plate is protected with a tissue guard captioned in English.

The plates run as followes:

- Plate #1 contains the following three collotypes: 1) The Main Entrance to the house seen from the court yard; 2) A corner of the house showing a stone water basin; 3) A portion of the garden showing the stone lanterns and bronze storks.
- Plate #2: A View of the house seen from the garden.
- Plate #3: A View of the garden showing the hillock with three big trees.
- Plate #4: A corner of a living room showing a portion of the tokonoma.
- Plate #5: A view of the parlor.
- Plate #6: A view of the parlor showing the tokonoma.
- Plate #7: Chrysanthemums in bed and two young ladies.
- Plate #8: Chrysanthemums in pots artistically arranged.
- Plate #9: Artificial garden.
- Plate #10: Another chrysanthemum bed showing the different varieties.
- Plate #11: Another view of the chrysanthemums in pots artistically arranged.
- Plate #12: Another view of the chrysanthemum beds with two young ladies in the centre.
- Plate #13: A chrysanthemum bed with different varieties.
- Plate #14: A view of the chrysanthemum beds in the north end of the garden with two young ladies in the centre.
- Plate #15 contains the following three collotypes: 1) A temporary rustic gate at the west end of the garden; 2) The chrysanthemums in pots at the northwest corner of the garden; 3) Another view of the chrysanthemums in pots at the northwest corner of the garden.

Minor shelf wear and age-toning to wrappers. Title and captions in English. Bound in colophon in Japanese. Wrappers in overall good+, interior in very good condition. g+ to vg. Item #39278

About the author: Ogawa Kazumasa (1860-1929), also known as Ogawa Kazuma or Ogawa Isshin, was a Japanese photographer, printer and publisher who was a pioneer in photomechanical printing and photography in the Meiji era. He was a founding member of the Japan Photographic Society, which gathered photography amateurs from all around Japan. In 1891, he was charged with taking 100 pictures of Tokyo's most attractive geisha, to commemorate the opening of the Ryounkaku.

Price: $1,000.00