奇門遁甲盤 Kimon Tonkoban (Qimen Dunjia Board) [MODERN FACSIMILE REPRODUCTION], [COMPLETE INTERACTIVE JAPANESE DIVINATION MANUAL, WITH ROTATING VOLVELLES]
東京 [Tokyo]: 須原屋茂兵衞 (Suharaya Mohei). Facsimile edition. Hardcover. Octavo. [10 pages] unpaginated. Brown paper boards, with white paper label, lettered in black, pasted on the front cover. Leporello binding, with printed pages on one side only. Publication information printed on a yellow sheet, pasted to the interior front cover. A modern facsimile reproduction of the manual originally produced in Tokyo in 1885.
The scarce work is an interactive divination manual is based on the traditional system of Chinese divination known as the Qimen Dunjia, produced in Japan during the Meiji period. This Qimen Dunjia "board" includes many extensive detailed charts and prominently features rotating interactive hand-colored volvelles, the largest of which is known as a Luopan (aka a geomantic compass or a Fusui Raban in Japanese). This ancient system, first used as early as the Warring States period in Chinese history (c. 475 – 221 BC), is time-sensitive and based on astrology, the Chinese zodiac, and a variety of other Chinese metaphysics: including the ying and yang, the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, the Ten Heavenly Stems, the Twelve Earthly Branches and the Twenty Four Solar Terms. Originally the system was used for the purpose of military strategy, but over the millennia has become used in a wide variety of decision-making contexts including medical, matchmaking, childbirth, travel, business, and personal finance.
Originally copies of the manuals that were used would have been uniquely hand-colored or annotated, each based on the individual circumstances, use, and divinations of the owner.
Text throughout in Japanese, written exclusively in Chinese characters (Kanji).
Boards with some light rubbing and chipping to extremities. Leporello binding tight, with interior clean and vibrant. Binding in good, interior in near fine condition overall. g to near fine. Item #56194
Only 2 copies of the original work have been located worldwide on OCLC.
Price: $450.00