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Meiji prints

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	Design:	Arai Kanpō (1878-1945)
	Print title:	Murasaki Shikibu
	Album/series title:	Shōnen Rekishi (Boy’s history)
	Size:	21.3 x 30.0 cm (ōban)
	Original woodblock print
	Photography:	Jacques Commandeur

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Enlargement

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Special effects: silver metallic pigments on the kimonos of Murasaki Shikibu and of the man (prince Genji?) sitting behind the table.

Published ca. 1900-1910s by Akiyama Buemon.

This print has a vertical fold in the middle, meaning that it originally was issued as part of an orihon (i.e., folding book).

Murasaki Shikibu is the writer of the famous novel Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji).

Artist’s name and red seal in left print area:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation
寛	kan	beautiful
方	pō	treasure	Kanpō

Series title in brown cartouche in right margin:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation
少	shō	few
年	nen	year
歴	reki	passage of time
史	shi	history	Boy’s history

Followed by print title:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation
紫	murasaki	purple
式	shiki	ceremony
部	bu	section	Murasaki Shikibu

Publisher’s address, telephone number, and firm name (from right to left) in bottom margin:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation
東	tō	east
京	kyō	capital
市	shi	city	Tokyo city,
日	nichi	sun
本	hon	origin
橋	hashi	bridge	Nihonbashi
區	ku	district	district,
室	muro	greenhouse
町	machi	quarter	Muro quarter,
三	san	three
丁	chō	house block
目	me	count suffix	3rd house block,
九	yū	nine
番	ban	number
地	chi	earth, land	number 9,
電	den	electricity
話	wa	talk
本	hon	origin
局	kyoku	office
五	go	five
一	ichi	one
四	yon	four	Telephone
四	yon	four	main office 5144
滑	kotsu	slide
稽	kei	think
堂	dō	temple	Kokkeidō

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References

• This page of the National Gallery of Australia website, where the complete Shōnen Rekishi album designed by Arai Kanpō can be viewed.

• The archive of Dieter Wanczura’s Artelino website.

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Provenance: Fuji Arts