Senoku Seisho 泉屋清賞 or The Collection of Old Bronzes of Baron Sumitomo. Part II, Ancient Mirrors
1921. Item #86654
Senoku Seisho 泉屋清賞 or The Collection of Old Bronzes of Baron Sumitomo. Part II, Ancient Mirrors by Harada Yoshito 原田淑人, 4 volumes of 5. 1921 and A Special Volume, Ten Bronze Bells formerly in the Collection of Ch’en Chieh-Ch’i. 陳氏奮蔵十鐘 泉屋清賞別集 Chin Shi Kyūzō Jyūshō, Senoku Seishō Betsushū with explanatory notes by Dr. Kōsaku Hamada 濱田耕作
5 vols housed in 3 chitsu with text by archaeologist, historian and scholar Harada Yoshito 原田淑人 (1885-1974). A professor at Tokyo University, together with Hamada Kōsaku 濱田耕作, he helped pioneer the study of archaeology in Japan and researched and wrote a number of papers on Chinese and other East Asian artifacts. These 5 vols are Part II of a two part series; we have 4 of the 5 volumes of Part II as well as a supplementary volume to the series that is on bronze bells. The mirror section is incomplete; even though it is missing the Kaisetsu 解説 (explanatory text) in Japanese, there is explanatory text within the volumes in Japanese as well as the English translation of the Kaisetsu.
1st chitsu - Part II Ancient Mirrors (Kyōkanbu 鏡鑑部), Explanatory Notes
3 volumes approx. 34.2 x 23cm; all are bound Japanese style, fukuro-toji with blue-gray paper wrappers. Japanese text by Y. Harada is translated into English by M. Toyoda. Taisho 7 [1918]. Housed in a navy chitsu 34.2 x 23.5cm with a title slip in seal script and a red hanko.
1st vol - Senoku Seisho 泉屋清賞, The Collection of Old Bronzes of Baron Sumitomo, Part II, Ancient Mirrors, has a title slip with seal script and red hanko and inside a Title Page, Preface and Table of Contents. This is followed by a descriptive catalog of bronze mirrors with Japanese text on the right hand page and reproduced photos on the left, 1 to 41.
2nd vol - has the same title with Title Page, Table of Contents and descriptive catalog as in vol 1, with text and reproduced photos of mirrors numbered from 42 to 100.
3rd vol - “Explanatory Notes on Sen-Oku Sei-Sho or The Collection of Old Bronzes of Baron Sumitomo, Part II, Ancient Mirrors, Second Edition” has a square, centered title slip with English text and opens western style. Next follows a Title Page, Table of Contents, Introduction and a descriptive catalog of 100 mirrors, all in English text, 42pp. Of particular interest is the description of the first mirror: the Ch’ing-pai Mirror 清白 is one of a type that is also called a T’ou-kuang-chien 透光鑑, or transparent mirror. As explained in the text, “They have inscriptions on their back, and when the mirrors are held against the sunshine, all the decorations on their backs become transparent, and they are most clearly reflected on the wall.” There is a more in-depth explanation with references to old Chinese poems that mention the transparent mirrors, or as they are sometimes known in the west, “magic mirrors.”
2nd chitsu - Ancient Mirrors, sequel (Kyōkanbu zokuhen 鏡鑑部 続編).
This volume has a title slip with Senoku Seishō Zokuhen 泉屋清賞 続編, indicating that it is a continuation of the above volumes. N.D. Single volume 34.2 x 22.6cm blue-gray wrappers bound Japanese style, fukuro-toji with 36 pages: a Title Page, a Table of Contents in Japanese and one in English text, followed by photo reproductions of mirrors and explanatory text in Japanese. Text by S. Umehara and Dr. K. Hamada. The photographic images are on the left side and approx. 13.5 x 13.5cm with the text on the facing page. Each image is numbered from 101 to 140.
Housed in a navy chitsu with clasps 34 x 23.2cm with a title slip with title above and red hanko. 36 pp. Wear to chitsu with chipping and damage to title slip, not affecting text. Wrappers are slightly chipped at corners and front cover is creased at lower corner. Black marks in the margins of the initial pages, not affecting text or images.
3rd chitsu - Ten Bronze Bells
Chitsu has a title slip with seal script and a red hanko. The title page reads, Chin Shi Kyūzō Jyūshō, Senoku Seishō Betsushū 陳氏奮蔵十鐘 泉屋清賞別集 and on the English text side, Ten Bronze Bells, Formerly in the Collection of Ch’en Chieh-Ch’i [A Special Volume], Second Edition. Single volume 34.2 x 22.2cm with blue-gray wrappers and bound Japanese style, fukuro-toji with 36pp on the Japanese side and 13pp on the English side. Opened Japanese style, the book begins with a Title page, Preface dated Taisho 11, Table of Contents, notes, text about the bells with illustrations and photo reproductions and ends with an appendix with the pitch determination of the bells, all in Japanese text. When opened Western style, the book follows a similar format with Title Page, Preface dated 1922, General Notes, Descriptive Catalog and the Appendix, all in English text without the images. Text by Dr. Kosaku Hamada.
Housed in a navy chitsu 34.2 x 22.8cm with clasps. Fading to the wrappers and chipping to corners of the wrappers. Fading of the top edge and spine and wear to chitsu with penciled numbers on the title slip. Interior pages in fine condition.
Price: $720.00