HOKUSAI Katsushika. Mangas, Sketchbooks

1960, Unso-do co. Kyoto

15 woodblock printed books, 1 introductory notebook in English and Japanese, traditional case with bone clasp.

Reprint of Hokusai's sketchbooks by the publisher Unsodo with the original woodblocks.

Books I to XIII were engraved and published during the artist's lifetime, books XIV and XV are posthumous publications around 1878 and are said to be compilations of sketches by the master and disciple.

Considered the encyclopedia of Hokusai's images/sketches, these 15 books contain over 3900 illustrations of characters, animals, landscapes, objects, architectures etc. These notebooks traveled widely in the 19th century and had a huge influence on European painters.

434 pieces of carved wood were needed to make these sketchbooks. This corresponds to more than 100 months of work, 4 craftsmen worked on it for more than two years.

Cherry blossom plates engraved from the sketchbooks used for publication :

Copyright © 2021 UNSODO Corporation

These wooden plates were transported from Tokyo to Kyoto when they were transferred by Yoshikawa Kobunkan to the publisher Geisodo who is still the current owner and holder of the exploitation rights.
This means that these plates were miraculously preserved and saved from the 1923 Kantō Earthquake which devastated 70% of the city of Tokyo, destroying a considerable cultural heritage.

Geisodo Woodblock Print Warehouse currently houses tens of thousands of precious Edo period woodblock prints, including Katsushika Hokusai, Ito Jakuchu, and Yukika Kamisaka.

Geisodo Woodblock Print Warehouse :

Copyright © 2021 UNSODO Corporation

Complete with the introduction booklet in English and Japanese.

These sketchbooks are a treasure that should be preserved. You can admire the extent of Hokusai's craftsmanship and genius in them. All other drawings will seem a little bland after reading these sketchbooks.

Printing work on a plate:

Copyright © 2021 UNSODO Corporation

To learn more about Mangas:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai_Manga

Discover the fully digitized collection of sketchbooks: https://archive.org/search?query=Hokusai+manga



The Unsodo publishing compagny: https://www.unsodo.net/en/

Condition: the case is a little sunned and a little worn and rubbed inside. All the books are in perfect condition, they have almost never been consulted.