SHIBA KOKAN. A Biography, With Examples Of His Paintings Paintings, Copper Etche

[Tokyo 1942, Atorie-Sha]. Buff cloth, very good, 253+8p., 6 color & 138 b. w. photos, Japanese text, original slipcase, 18 x 26.5 cm., minor damp stain on first few pages. * * FIRST & ONLY LIMITED EDITION RARE OF 2000 COPIES * * . *** **** *** . . AN EXCELLENT MONOGRAPH ON THE "LEONARDO DA VINCI" OF . . . FIRST & ONLY LIMITED EDITION OF 2000 COPIES . . . PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED . . * An important biographical study of Shiba Kokan [1747-1818], the "Leonardo Da Vinci" of Japan. . Covers his travels in Japan, to Nagasaki for medical learning from the Dutch or Rangaku [Dutch learning]. . An in-depth commentary on his paintings, copper etched and other prints. Kokan was one of the first Japanese to use the third dimension in his pictorial art work and drawings, which he learned directly from the Dutch. . He was also an accomplished physician and studied with much zeal from Dutch language medical texts. One of the most important resources on Kokan. . Kokan was also a cartographer, and did some fine examples of maps from Dutch based knowledge. . * Kokan was a painter and scholar famous woodblock print artists Suzuki Harunobu, and also of Tani Buncho. He went to Nagasaki and learned from the Dutch the principles of Western art and perspective until, completely unknown to Japanese during that time. . He also learned how to engrave or do copper-etchings as well as western-style oil-painting. He studied western astronomy, history, geography and authored several books on these subjects. . A superb biography of one of Japan's earliest Renaissance men. . Profusely illustrated in color and black & white photographs. . *** Color photos are posted to our website. . *** CONDITION: The book is bound in the original publisher's buff cloth with spine titles in gold. The book was published during the Second World War, and use less than excellent text paper, there is some of the usual 'toning' for paper of this period. . There are astrological designs by Kokan as the end papers. The books are solidly bound and firm with no marks to the text or plates. . When present, the RARE & original board slip case has been reinforced & mended, now about as solid as possible. The slipcase is seldom found, the book is now over 81 years old. . COPIES: Additional condition notes on specific copies. . Copy 2: In mended slipcase, with usual & typical wear to the lower spine edge, from the first fly-leaf through the first few pages have some old damp stain, with a bit of a blur to the blue printed title page and some minor bleed through to the next couple of pages. . There is some of the usual, but minor wear to the corners, the text and binding are firm, solid with not marks or issues with the text. . Copy 3: Has a similar damp stain like copy 2 above, from the first fly leaf through to the third page. There is some wear & minor loss to the bottom edge of the half-title page, a mended inside hinge on the gutter of the end papers of the front cover, now mended and quite solid. The spine has been laid down on white paper, preserving the spine, there is some of the usual wear at the head & spine tail, with minor loss. . The text & photos are without issue, the book is firmly bound & sold. . *** REFERENCES: . SHIBA, Kokan.: -.GAZU SAIYUDAN: [SAIYU RODAN]: ILLUSTRATED -.ACCOUNT OF A . WESTERN JOURNEY: THINGS SEEN AND HEARD ON A TRIP FROM . EDO TO NAGASAKI. . -.CHIKYU ZENZU RYAKUSETSU: EXPLANATION OF THE COMPLETE MAP . OF THE WORLD. Revised Version. Cover title: BANKOKU . RYAKUSETSU. . [SHIBA, Kokan: TENCHI RIDAN: LITERARY WORKS BY SHIBA KOKAN. * FRENCH, Calvin L.: SHIBA KOKAN: Artist, Innovator, And Pioneer In The Westernization Of Japan. * E. Papinot: HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF JAPAN, p. 562 for more details. * NARUSE, Fujio.: -SHIBA KOKAN: PICTURES OF SHIBA KOKAN'S WORKS. . -SHIBA KOKAN TEN: DOH HANGA NO SENKUSHA: EXHIBITION OF SHIBA . KOKAN & HIS LEADING SPIRIT OF COPPER ETCHINGS. * L. Brown: BLOCK-PRINTING AND BOOK-ILLUSTRATION IN JAPAN FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, p.147. * L. Roberts: DICTIONARY OF JAPANESE ARTISTS, p.88. * M. Hosono: NAGASAKI PRINTS AND EARLY COPPERPLATES * R. Lane: IMAGES OF THE FLOATING WORLD * W. T. De Bary: SOURCES OF JAPANESE TRADITION * M.B. Jansen. CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF JAPAN. . * .