絵本三津輪草 [1]

西川祐信画 · 1758 · 菱屋治兵衛[ほか2名] · 34 pictures

This is a Japanese woodblock picture book (ehon) illustrated by Nishikawa Sukenobu and published in 1758 by Hishiya Jihei and associates, probably for a general urban readership in Edo or Kyoto. Its pages show elegant court-style women in patterned robes set in interiors with tatami floors, sliding screens and verandas, with brief handwritten kana text in the margins. A designer could take the restrained single-line contours, the dense kimono patterns of small blossoms, waves and geometric motifs, and the diagonal architectural compositions that leave generous empty paper.

Japanese picture books (ehon)

National Diet Library, Japan (国立国会図書館) · Public Domain Mark (PDM), National Diet Library · More from this library