Libros raros de Rare Oriental Book Company, ABAA, ILAB - AN ART AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COMPANY

Edo 1750, Suharaya Mohei. Large folding map, 170 x 200 cm. old mended worming, rebacked,pastel colors, Japanese reprint of a map printed in Henan in 1679, folds down to be 21.5 x 25.5 cm., woodblock printed, hand color. V E R Y R A R E ! *** *** *** . . AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE WALL-SIZE MAP OF CHINA . . EXECTED BY A SHAOLIN ZEN MASTER *** The Shaolin Xi [Monastery/Temple] is a Chán [Zen] Buddhist temple at Song Shan near Zheng Zhou City, Henan Province in Dengfeng, China. It was led by Venerable abbot Shi Yongxìn. founded in the 5th century, the monastery has been famous for centuries its association with Chinese martial arts and particularly with Shaolin Kung Fu. It is also a Mahayana Buddhist monastery perhaps best known to the Western world. . The Shaolin Monastery and its famed Pagoda Forest were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng. Extracted from Wikipedia. . *** A RARE EDITION: Reprinted and published in Japan by Katsuragawa… Leer más

Ichigaya, Tokyo 1899. A three-page holographic penned letter on two sheets:, one, two sides, 14 x 20 cm., on buff colored paper, dated and signed by Lafcadio Hearn. RARE & OBSCURE ! A superb letter to William G. Jordan, the editor of the SATURDAY EVENING POST. Hearn sends Jordan a blistering reply to his request to receive more Hearn essays. Hearn in turn states categorically that he shall never submit to any editor or publisher's censorship. The following is the full text of that letter, exactly recorded below in the format as Hearn actually wrote it: [* = our paragraph/space markers] * William George Jordan, Esq., Editor Saturday Evening Post:- * "My Dear Mr. Jordan - Your letter of March 10th is with me. I am afraid that my answer to it will not please you; but I have no doubt that you will be able to understand my view of the question, and I propose to be perfectly frank with you. * I have stopped writing for magazines, because their Editors or perhaps their publishers, are the… Leer más

London 1928, Oxford. Rose cloth, 4 vol. set: vol. 1-2 text, vol. 3 plates & plans, vol. 4 maps, bibliography, unclipped mended dust jackets in mylar protectors, 25.5 x 34 cm., brilliantly bright superb clean copy. FIRST & ONLY EDITION . *** **** *** . . FIRST & ONLY LIMITED EDITION OF 765 SETS . A monumental work, well-illustrated study on the trade route countries of Central Asia. Always a rare set when complete. . * "With descriptive lists of antiques by F.H. Andrews & F.M.G. Lorimer; & appendices by J. Allan et al." Volume 1, 2: text, 1159 pages, with text illustrations. Vol. 3: 137 plates, 59 plans. Vol. 4: 51 color folding maps in matching rose cloth case, with index tabs. . *** M. AUREL STEINS PERSONAL COPY: This is a very nice copy which was likely owned by the author as his personal letter was found used as a book mark in one of the volumes. The letter is 19 x 25.5 cm., plain toned white paper, written by Sir Aurel Stein using a very wide fountain pen and blue… Leer más

London 1925-28, Benn. Black & gold blind stamped cloth,folio with 300 color, 500 b.w. photos, total of 718p., text+plates deckle edge paper, 32 x 46 cm., superbly illustrated work. FIRST & ONLY LIMITED NUMERED EDITION OF 560-725 COPIES. RARE This the stunningly famous and fabled collection representing some of the best ceramic pieces ever held in private hands. The complete set of 11 books are seldom found complete, and uniformly bound. There are several copies that are signed by the authors and also hand-numbered. *** A VERY RARE AND COMPLETE SET OF ELEVEN UNIFORMLY BOUND BOOKS . The first 5 vols. are devoted to pottery & porcelains from the Chou to Ch'ing periods. Wares covered: Ming, Ju, Kuan, Ko, Lung-Chuan, Chien, Chun,Ting, Tz'u Chou, wares. Vol. 6 is on Corean & Persian wares. * The next 3 vols. are by W.P. Yetts on Chinese & Korean bronzes, sculpture, jades, jewelry & misc. objects. * The last 2 vols. are by L. Binyon: CHINESE FRESCOES and CHINESE, KOREAN &… Leer más

[Kyoto 1710, Nagata Chohbei]. Blue original paper covers, title slip, covers rubbed: some blue loss, woodblock printed 1 m. 44.5 x 1 m. 20 cm. accordion folded, very good impres- sion, excellent registry, white hand-made paper,clean solid. . *** *** *** . . . AN EARLY BUDDHIST MAP OF THE WORLD . . . ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS EARLY MAPS . . . A GRAND & DELUXE WALL MAP . *** An excellent fine early example of a woodblock printed map, with Chinese text. This is the first Japanese world map drawn according to Buddhist cosmology & the prototype for all other later Buddhist world maps done in Japan until the end of the 19th century. . *** THE ARTIST AND AUTHOR: Hotan [aka Zuda Rokashi 1654-1728], was the author, artist, editor, scholar and Buddhist priest, he was also the famous founder of Kegonji Buddhist Temple in Kyoto. He was an eminent Buddhist priest and scholar who reconciled new information from the West with Chinese sources. The work is signed "Rokashi," which means "mapmaker… Leer más

Japan c.[1703]. Original gray rubbed silk covers, a Japanese reprint of the 1663 Chinese map, neatly rebacked,127 x 137.5 cm., a few old mended worm holes, minor flaws, hand colored, folds down to 21.5 x 34 cm. R A R E FIRST & ONLY EDITION Translation of the Chinese Title: continued: "WITH THE WHOLE PICTURE OF THE PEOPLE'S HISTORY AND ALL ROADS." . Chinese pinyin title is: DA MING JIU BIAN WAN GUO, REN JI LU CHEN QUAN TU. . *** A marvelous and grand size example. The work basically shows the whole country and its surrounding areas. Minor tears, most repaired, some old stains & repaired worming, actually quite nice. Remarkable in its detail and features. It shows the Great Wall at the top, or Northern orientation, geographic features include: rivers, lakes, cities and villages, mountains are painted in green. With a list of foreign countries at the left margin, showing the distance in "Ri" or miles. Important administrative areas in red outline, islands named, the sea… Leer más

[China n.d. ca. 1927-1928]. Brown simulated alligator cloth covers, 37 x 27.5 cm., black pages, spine ribbon-tied, ca. 400 b.w. photos corner mounted, images very good, sharp and clear images NOT faded,solid,nicely done. V E R Y R A R E ! **** *** **** . . SUPERB PHOTO ALBUM OF THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR: . . Beginning of The Communist Party led led by Mao Tse-tung . . V.S. the Kuomintang [KMT] or Chinese Nationalist Party . Led by Chiang Kai Shek. . The United States Supported the KMT. In this album, we see how the KMT soldiers hosted the American Army in China, using their trains and military bases throughout China. * This unusual album contains 400 original b. w. photographs & and is an historic photographic record of American military deployment showing Dough-boys in China, probably from the U.S. Army's 2nd. Battalion, 15th. infantry, per the flag and insignia found on a group formation photograph. A minority are with written captions, by and large taken by the person who made the album, also… Leer más

[Edo ? c.1700-50, n.p.]. Brown & silver covered boards, very clean, 7 double-page b.w. erotic woodblock illustrations, mounted on mica flecked paper, 18 x 25 cm., accordion folded illustration size: 31 x 12 cm. FIRST & ONLY UNRECORDED COPY! . *** *** *** . . . A VERY RARE UNRECORDED EARLY BOOK . . . A BIZARRE & UNIQUE EROTIC BOOK . . . UNSIGNED, BUT CLEARLY THE WORK OF A MASTER ARTIST . *** BY SUKENOBU OR HIS :SCHOOL: . A unique and hitherto unfound odd and most unusual erotic book of the early-mid-18th century. One of the most bizarre erotic books ever done in Japan. . The graphically explicit work portrays men and women with genitals on their foreheads, engaged in heterosexual and homosexual intercourse. There is no other book with such unusual and strange illustrations. . *** . THE TITLE: THE LEGEND OF AMANJAKU or AMAN NO JAKU: [Chinese Title: TIAN XIE GUI YUN] . THE MEANING OF AMANJAKU: Japanese Buddhist literature is abundant with variations on the theme of "Aman-No-Jaku,"… Leer más

New York 1856, Putnam. Tall folio, single hand colored litho of "PASSING THE RUBICON," 82.5 x 56.5 cm., slight browning, marginal tears, mounted on a stiff cardboard, VERY R A R E ! This work preceded the famous three volume set published in 1856: THE JAPAN EXPEDITION. GRAPHIC SCENES OF THE JAPAN EXPEDITION was a spectacular work and contained 10 hand tinted large and nine smaller colored lithographs to document the arrival of Perry & his Squadron. * Most were drawn by Heine the young German who was the expedition artist. The complete work includes: 1. PORTRAIT OF M.C. PERRY. 2. MACAO FROM PENHA HILL. 3. PAGODA OF WHAMPOA. 4. OLD CHINA STREET IN CANTON. 5. KUNG-TWA, AT ON-NA, LEW CHEW. 6. MIA, OR ROADSIDE CHAPEL AT YOKU-HAMA. 7. TEMPLE AT BEN-TENG,IN THE HARBOR OF SIMODA. 8. STREET & BRIDGE AT SIMODA. 9. TEMPLE OF THE HA-TSHU-MAN-YA TSCHU-RO, AT SIMODA. 10. GRAVEYARD AT THE SIMODA, DIO ZENGE. * Of these exceedingly RARE lithographs one prints is now offered: PASSING THE RUBICON… Leer más

[China] Xuande 8 [1433]. Accordion folded Sutra, 10.5 x 29.8 cm., extended length about 15 meters long, [140]p., profuse illustrations, with 94 pages illustrations, balance of text in Chinese, printed on fine mica coated paper.A RARE EXAMPLE . *** **** *** . . MIAO FO LIEN HUA CHING: THE LOTUS SUTRA . . . THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL BUDDHIST SUTRAS . . . DATED XUANDE 8TH YEAR = 1433 . . * A superb and marvelous folded scroll, lavishly illustrated with large, multi-page illustrations. This is the most famous and celebrated illustrated version of ZONG XIANG QUAN YIN JING, [Shi Wu Quan: Complete Chapter 15] i.e.: LOTUS SUTRA HUI XIANG GUAN YIN JING: SUTRA OF THE VISION OF GUAN YIN. Also known as: MIAO FA LIEN HWA KIN KWAN SHI YIN PHU SA PHU MAN PHIN KIN: The Saddharma Pundarika Sutra. The E SO KANNON KYO, or HOKKE-KYO or DAI NICHI KYO in Japanese. . * First known in Chinese as TA-JIH QING [The Great Sun Scripture] then after 725 A.D. known as the Fa-hua Qing [Lotus Sutra] or the ZONG XIANG GUAN YIN JING, and… Leer más

London 1671, Johnson. Contemporary calf, six raised bands, gold-stamped spine & decorations, 723p., 38 copper-engraved plates, 32 double-page,65 engraved text plates,2 double-page engraved maps, clean & solid copy.RARE FIRST ENGLISH EDITION *** *** *** . . . A GRAND, EARLY ENGRAVED FOLIO IN ENGLISH . . . THE FIRST BRITISH EMBASSY TO CHINA 1671 . . . A MOST SUPERB FOLIO WITH PROFUSE COPPER-ETCHED PLATES . . *** SUBTITLE continued: "...And East Tartary. With a Relation of the Netherlanders Afsifting the Tartar againft Coxinga, and the Chinefe Fleet, who till then were Mafters of the Sea. And a more exact geographical defcription of than formerly, both of the whole Empire of China in general, and in particular of every of the fifteen provinces. Collected out of their feveral writings and journals, by Arnoldus Montanus. Englifh'd, and adorn'd with above a hundred feveral sculptures, by John Ogilby, Efq; Mafter of His Majesty's Revels in the Kingdom of Ireland." . *** TWO… Leer más

Kumamoto 1894, 12 page letter to Chamberlain from Hearn Feb. 2, 1894. Chamberlain's 8 page reply Feb. 5, 1894, with the envelopes from both Hearn & Chamberlain. Superb condition, zero defects, beautifully bound in brocaide silk cloth book. . *** **** *** . . TWO VERY RARE & EARY HEARN MANUSCRIPT LETTERS . *** The first: 1. From Lafcadio Hearn to Basil Hall Chamberlain, dated Feb. 2nd., 1894. This is a 12 page letter with the title: "PENDULUM ON THE LEFT." Written on six sheets of paper, each matted in the book so both sides of the letters are visible. The envelope to Chamberlain is laid down on the first page, and has Lafcadio Hearn's Japanese name "Koizumi Yakumo" stamped on the end of the back side of the envelope. This Hanko [seal/chop] is stamped in the usual red cinnabar color. . *** The second: The letter is from B.H. Chamberlain dated Tokyo, Feb. 5, 1894 to Hearn in Kumamoto. As for the Chamberlain letters, they are 18 x 23.1 cm., printed on each side. Each… Leer más

[Korea late 18th-early 19th century 1780-1810?]. Eight color gouache pastel tinted maps, ca. 57.5 x 90.1 cm.,contemporary re-backing, very solid, clean examples, complete set of all provinces, hand-painted gouache manuscripts. RARE & OBSCURE . *** **** *** . . . A RARE & COMPLETE SET OF ANTIQUARIAN MANUSCRIPT KOREAN . . . YI PERIOD PROVINCIAL MAPS . . "P’ALTO CHIDO" OR "EIGHT PROVINCES MAPS" . . . DELUXE ELEPHANT FOLIO SIZE SHEETS . . . HAND-COLORED GOUACHE PASTELS . * This is a very RARE & COMPLETE set of eight Korean provincial manuscript maps. Drawn circa [1780-1810] by an unsigned Korean cartographer. These maps are of historical importance, giving place names isolating the time frame. . Painted on very thin, finely hand-made mulberry-fiber tissue paper, contemporary re-backed with a stiff hand-made paper. Beautifully hand-painted & colored in gouache pastels. . *** The record shows several reliable verities of manuscript maps showing the eight ancient… Leer más

China [1817].Blue folded Chuan cloth case,two 2 bone clasps, bound in 16 parts, 283 folded leaves, leading edges trimmed, "butterfly" as issued, profuse color illustrated woodblock printed, lovely Ch'ing edition, in blue cloth case. * RARE * . *** **** *** . . THE STUNNING & LEGENDARY TEN BAMBOO STUDIO . . . THE FIRST COLOR-WOODBLOCK PRINTED PAINTING LESSON BOOK . . . THE COMPLETE WORK BOUND IN 16 PARTS . . . COLOR WOODBLOCK PRINTED & ILLUSTRATED . . . THE 1817 EDITION ILLUSTRATED WITH 186 COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS . . . THE TEN BAMBOO IS WORLD'S & CHINA'S FIRST . . . COLOR PRINTED BOOK . . . THE FIRST EDITION WAS PRINTED IN 1633 . * The original and first edition of this most important of all Chinese color woodblock printed books was by Hu Zhengyan [1584-1674]in the late Ming [ca. 1640's]. The publication of this first and most celebrated color printed book, inaugurated a new era in the history of Chinese woodblock printmaking, it also established a unique and new… Leer más

[Nagasaki 1853]. Hand-painted color scroll, 29.8 x 214 cm., long, bright & clean example, nicely mounted & re-backed, in custom Kiri wood box, a bit of old, minor restoration to lower edge, exertly executed. * * OBSCURE & RARE EXAMPLE * * . *** **** *** . . . EXTREMELY RARE ORIGINAL-PAINTED PRIMARY RESOURCE . . . DOCUMENTING THE HISTORIC FIRST RUSSIAN VISIT TO NAGASAKI . . . LED BY VICE ADMIRAL YEVFIMY PUTYATIN [PUTIATIN] . . . A HAND-PAINTED COLOR JAPANESE SCROLL . . . ARTIST SIGNED, DOUBLE SEALED & DATED KAEI 6 [1853] . . * In August 1853, a year and a month after American Commodore Perry landed at Uraga [near Yokohama & Tokyo], four Russian Warships entered Nagasaki harbor, under the command of Vice Admiral Euphimius [Yevfimy] Putiatin, representing the Russian envoy to Japan. [There are many variations for the spelling of the admiral including: "Admiral Evfimii Vasilievich Putiatin." . The Admiral came to Japan with much the same purpose as Perry, to establish… Leer más