Title: ‘Ehon taka kagami’ 絵本鷹かゞみ (An Illustrated Mirror of Falconry), vol. 4
Illustrator: Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎 (1831-1889), et al.
Publisher: Suharaya Sasuke (Kinkadô 金花堂)
Year of publication: c. 1879 (c. Meiji 12)
Volume 4 of 5
Size: 23 x 16 cm (hanshibon)
10 folded pages
Complete
Condition: cover with minor wear. Binding threads partially detached. Endpapers partially detached from the cover. Otherwise, the edition is in very good condition
Price: 150 Euro
‘Ehon taka kagami (A picture-book mirror of hawks) is a reference book on falconry. The word kagami, or “mirror,” refers to an example or “how-to” book and in this case signifies “a basic guide to falconry.” There are three volumes in the first part (shohen 初編) and two in the second (nihen 二編), for a total of five volumes.
This book is unusual within Kyōsai’s corpus of illustrated picture books. As a work commissioned by experts and specialists of falconry, it contains no hint of the artist’s characteristic humor. At this time there appear to have been few artists or illustrators who could capture the mannerisms and forms of hawks with such precision based on a direct observation from nature.’ (Pulverer Collection)
