Miyako Rinsen Meisho Zue [An Illustrated Guide to Famous Gardens in Ky

Miyako Rinsen Meisho Zue [An Illustrated Guide to Famous Gardens in Kyoto] .Kyoto, Edo, Osaka, Nagoya.. Kansei 11 [1799] 5 volumes bound in 6 (with two parts to Vol 1: Upper and Lower. 26.8 x 18.3 cm volumes are string-bound Japanese-style, fukuro-toji. Published in Kyoto, Edo, Osaka and Nagoya, the final note by Akisato Rito is dated Kansei 11 [1799]. Original covers with the original printed title labels. Index to the gardens in the beginning of each volume. An illustrated guide to the gardens and public spaces of Kyoto at the end of the 18th century. Illustrated throughout in black and white original woodblock prints by Sakuma Soen (?-1814), Nishimura Chuwa, and Oku Bunmei (1773-1813) with Japanese text and some garden layouts and details. A delightful range of gardens are included, including serene, well-manicured grounds with few inhabitants, wilder places with children playing in trees while parents take tea and busy areas packed with people enjoying food and copious amounts of drink. Lovely detail in the trees, architecture and figures; a mother holding the hand of her child as they walk down steps, a group of nuns on an excursion, and an elderly man with a large bundle on his back all roam the grounds of one bustling location. Quite clean with some soiling to the covers. Original covers and title labels. Good to very good impressions. By no means a common meishoki gazetteer. See Mitchell, page 421. (Inventory #: 91250)