Edo prints
| Design: | Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) | |||||
| Title: | Hokusai manga, Volume 3 | |||||
| Size: | 22.8 x 15.6 cm | |||||
| Posthumous printing from the original woodblocks | ||||||
| Photography: | Jacques Commandeur |
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Originally released in 1815 in Nagoya by publisher Eirakuya Tōshirō, whose firm was called Tōhekidō. This is the second edition released by the same publisher on 1 September 1878.
Reddish-brown book cover with embossed repeated diamond shaped pattern.
Title printed in red on a white slip on the book cover:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 葛 | katsu | arrowroot | |
| 飾 | shika | decorate | Katsushika |
| 為 | i | change | |
| 一 | itsu | one | one year old again |
| 遺 | i | leave behind | |
| 墨 | boku | black ink | brushwork |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | |
| 漫 | man | random | Random sketches |
| 画 | ga | drawing | of Hokusai |
| 三 | san | three | |
| 編 | hen | volume | Volume 3 |
| 全 | zen | all | All in one |
Advertisement G (see Forrer, 1985, p.106) on the inside of the front cover:
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The title of this advertisement is (reading from right to left):
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 東 | tō | east | |
| 壁 | heki | wall | |
| 堂 | dō | temple | Tōhekidō |
| 製 | sei | manufacture | |
| 本 | hon | book | bookmaking |
| 画 | ga | picture | |
| 譜 | fu | record | picture book |
| 目 | moku | eye | |
| 録 | roku | record | catalog |
As far I am concerned the most interesting (series) titles of illustrated books and drawing manuals mentioned in this advertisement are the first six. Reading from right to left these titles are:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | |
| 漫 | man | random | Random sketches |
| 画 | ga | picture | of Hokusai |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | |
| 富 | fu | wealth | |
| 嶽 | gaku | peak | Hokusai’s |
| 百 | hyaku | hundred | One hundred views |
| 景 | kei | view | of Mount Fuji |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | |
| 画 | ga | picture | Hokusai’s |
| 譜 | fu | book | Picture books |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | |
| 画 | ga | picture | Hokusai’s |
| 苑 | en | garden | Garden of pictures |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | |
| 新 | shin | new | |
| 雛 | hina | doll | New models |
| 形 | kata | shape | of Hokusai |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | |
| 一 | one | ||
| 筆 | ippitsu | writing brush | Hokusai’s |
| 画 | ga | picture | Manual of drawings |
| 譜 | fu | book | in one stroke |
This is the title page of the second edition of Hokusai manga Volume 3:
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Volume title in the large middle column of this title page:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | |
| 漫 | man | random | Random sketches |
| 画 | ga | drawing | of Hokusai |
| 三 | san | three | |
| 編 | hen | volume | Volume 3 |
On the right of the page is the original publication date:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 文 | bun | text | |
| 化 | ka | turn oneself into | |
| 乙 | kinoto*) | second calendar sign | |
| 亥 | i | boar | |
| 新 | shin | new | New publication of Bunka, |
| 刻 | koku | carve | year of the boar (i.e., 1815) |
and on the left is the firm name of the publisher:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 尾 | bi | tail | |
| 陽 | yō | positive | |
| 東 | tō | east | |
| 壁 | heki | wall | Tōhekidō |
| 堂 | dō | temple | of Biyō |
This is the seal on the verso of the title page of this volume:
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This is the colophon on the inside of the back cover:
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The colophon starts with a short account of the publication of the whole series in the first three columns on the right. This is followed by the publication date of this second edition of Volume 3 in the fourth column from the right:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 明 | mei | light | |
| 治 | ji | government | |
| 十 | jū | ten | |
| 一 | ichi | one | |
| 年 | nen | year | |
| 九 | ku | nine | |
| 月 | gatsu | month | |
| 一 | ichi | one | |
| 日 | jitsu | day | Published on |
| 出 | shutsu | come out | Meiji 11 (i.e. 1878), |
| 版 | han | edition | September 1st |
In the left part of the colophon we have the name of the compiler:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 編 | hen | edit | |
| 集 | shū | gather | |
| 者 | sha | person | Compiler |
| 東 | tō | east | |
| 京 | kyō | capital | |
| 府 | fu | capital city | |
| 個 | ko | individual | |
| 人 | jin | person | |
| 葛 | katsu | arrowroot | |
| 飾 | shika | decorate | |
| 北 | hoku | north | The late Katsuchika |
| 斎 | sai | room | Hokusai of Tokyo |
followed by the name of the publisher:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 出 | shutsu | come out | |
| 版 | han | edition | |
| 人 | jin | person | Publisher |
| 愛 | ai | love | |
| 知 | chi | know | |
| 県 | ken | prefecture | |
| 平 | hei | level | Commoner of |
| 民 | min | people | Aichi prefecture |
| 片 | kata | one (of two) | |
| 野 | no | field | |
| 東 | tō | east | |
| 四 | shi | four | |
| 郎 | rō | man | Katano Tōshirō |
The full contents of Volume 3 of the Hokusai manga can be viewed on the website dedicated to the Gerhard Pulverer Collection here, as well as in the book by Forrer (2014) containing photographic reproductions of all fifteen Hokusai manga volumes, including explanations of each image in French.
References
- Dalon, Laure, Nagata, Seiji, Negishi, Mika, Takemura, Makoto, Okuda, Atsuko (2014). Hokusai. Paris, Grand Palais, Galeries Nationales, 1er octobre 2014 - 18 janvier 2015. Paris: Éditions de la Réunion des musées nationaux.
- Forrer, Matthi (1985). Eirakuya Tōshirō, publisher at Nagoya. A contribution to the history of publishing in 19th century Japan. Amsterdam: J.C. Gieben.
- Forrer, Matthi (2010). Hokusai. Munich: Prestel Verlag.
- Forrer, Matthi (2014). Hokusai. La Manga. L’Édition Complète Commentée (2 volumes in slipcase). Paris: Editions Hazan.
Provenance: Yagiya Bobongua store
*) Kinoto combines ki (wood, one of the five elements) and to (yin).