165 - [JAPAN] TACHIBANA, Morikuni. *Ehon tsûhô-shi*. An Illustrated Album of the Treasures of Drawing.

[JAPAN] TACHIBANA, Morikuni. *Ehon tsûhô-shi*. An Illustrated Album of the Treasures of Drawing. Rare, complete first edition of this masterpiece of Edo-period woodblock printing, magnificently illustrated by Tachibana Morikuni Osaka, Shibukawa Seiemon, 14th year of the Kyōhō era (1729). 10 tomes in 2 in-8 volumes (160 x 230 mm) sewn in the Fukurotoji style, color-illustrated covers adorned on each volume with a handwritten title label in black ink reading “Chon Tzu ho shi,” the handwritten title repeated in French, “Trésor général,” on the spines. Stitching partially come undone, covers slightly rubbed at the edges, a few foxing spots and faint water stains, wormholes in the upper and lower margins. First edition of these 10 splendid drawing lessons by Morikuni Tachibana (1679–1748), one of the most prolific and skilled masters of the popular school. Each page is adorned with ink compositions carved on wood by Niwa Heizaemon (in Kyoto) and Fujimura Zen’emon (in Osaka). Drawing their beauty from the delicate contrast between deep black and the understated white of the paper, these prints feature a wide variety of classical motifs: landscapes, figures, birds, trees, plants, and flowers. The book opens with a laudatory introduction by the Osaka haiku poet Shiimoto Saimaro (1656–1738). Then, in his own preface, the painter—who was initially trained in the rigorous traditions of the classical Kanō school—reveals his educational intent. He conceived this comprehensive manual, a veritable “general treasure trove” of forms, to serve as a collection of models. His goal is to guide students and artisans through the academic rules of drawing while making them accessible to as many people as possible, thereby building a bridge to the popular Ukiyo-e school. A valuable example of a Japanese illustrated book presented in its original condition.