KWAN KO DZU SETSU [KANKO ZUSETZU]. NOTICE HISTORIQUE ET DESCRIPTIVE SUR LES ARTS ET INDUSTRIES JAPONAIS. ART CÉRAMIQUE [together with] KWAN-KO-DZU-SETSU. A HISTORY OF JAPANESE ANTIQUITIES. THE CERAMIC ART. [PARTS VI AND VII]

Tokyo, 1876-1877 and 1879-1880. First Edition. Wraps. Wrappers of Part I quite worn, with one title label mostly lost; front wrapper of Part III creased. Some offsetting and color bleedthrough; occasional edge browning; a few leaves very slightly moisture warped (from coloring?). Tape or glue residue in places on the versos of the plates in Part I. Near Fine with stunning hand-colored plates. First edition of Ninagawa's study of Japanese pottery, arranged in chronological order from ancient times onward. Apparently one of only 300 copies published. Seven oblong folio parts (15-1/4" x 10-3/8") stitched, as issued, in the original blue paper wrappers with lithographed title labels on the front wrappers in French and Japanese (Parts I-V) and in English and Japanese (Parts VI and VII). Each part with lithographed text in Japanese ([5]; [10]; [11]; [9], [11]; [10]; and [14] leaves, respectively). Printed on rectos only. Ninagawa's red stamp appears on the last leaf of text in each part. Illustrated with 125 numbered hand-colored lithographed plates, several heightened with gum arabic (17 plates in Part I and 18 plates each in Parts II-VII). Some plates and items numbered with small printed labels. An excellent copy of this fragile set, with the extremely scarce Parts VI and VII. This copy without the five octavo booklets containing the French translation of Parts I-V (Tokyo: H. Ahrens & Co., 1876-1878), or the publisher's silk chitsu, or portfolio, issued with the first five parts.