Manuscript of Journey from Kuwana to Edo Superb with hand-drawn illustrations of places along the way
[Japan] An impressive, unique travel diary written in 1852 by a person who travelled from Kuwana (in Mie prefecture) to Edo (Tokyo) and recorded what was seen and the people met along the way on the Tōkaidō. The traveller left Kuwana on October 3rd and the trip took 13 days which means an average of about 22km per day. The manuscript is illustrated, most likely by the author, who was clearly a highly-skilled artist and an educated writer. The hand-drawn and coloured illustrations of Mount Fuji are especially nice. Titled and dated at the beginning in Japanese, '1852 - A Travel Record about a trip from Kuwana to Edo' and, interestingly, at the end we find the name of a man who 'confirmed' the manuscript in 1915 and affixed a self-portrait carte-de-visite sized photo presumably of himself. We have been unable to decipher his name. Written on fine gampi paper, the book is bound with silk thread and has decorative silk-covered boards. Author unknown. The manuscript appears to date from the late Edo/early Meiji era (1850s-1880s).
29 leaves. 16.7 x 23.9cm.
In very good to fine condition. Minor age wear only. The paper inside the front cover has been slightly torn on the inside but doesn't not affect the text all. m36041592b
