Description
In the inset visible in the upper left corner of this beautiful polychrome woodblock print we read: «The monk Yoshida Kenko writes the Tsurezuregusa at the Shugakuin Temple in Kyoto» (吉田兼好法師京師修学院に徒然草を編綴す). Kenko is the most important writer of the Kamakura period (鎌倉時代) and here we see him depicted while composing the “Notes from Leisure Hours”, one of the most studied works of medieval Japanese literature, a collection of 243 short essays on the most varied topics including the beauty of nature, the transience of life, traditions, friendship, etc.
The horizontal chuban (中判) format work is taken from the series “A Brief Illustrated History of Great Japan” (大日本史略圖會) and was made by the famous artist Adachi Ginko (安達吟光) and printed in August 1889 by the publisher Okura Magobei (大倉孫兵衛).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the presence of a small wormhole, is in good condition.
