Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations

Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations

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Title: Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu (An Illustrated Description of Three Countries), 1786. The Exceedingly Rare, Banned, Printed First Edition. With 31 Pages of Woodblock Illustrations
Author: Shihei Hayashi
Publisher: Toto, Suharaya Ichibe
Condition: Good

An exceedingly rare, Late Edo Period, 18th century banned first edition of Hayashi’s Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu, known as the Illustrated Description of Three Countries.

First penned in 1785, and published in 1786, the work represents one of the earliest attempts to define Japan in terms of its outer boundaries, presenting a modern effort to distinguish Japan from the neighboring nations.

The work focuses on three surrounding nations: the Joseon Dynasty (Korea), the Ryukyu Kingdom (Ryukyu Islands/Okinawa) and Ezo (Hokkaido), as well as the yet uninhabited Bonin Islands. There is a particular focus on the Ainu people of Ezo, displaying their culture, tools, and appearances.

There are 31 pages of woodblock illustrations, showing the customs and attire of the Ainu people. Amongst village scenes and detailing in attire, there is also part of an Iomante ceremony depicted, where a hand-raised brown bear cub is ceremonially killed, under the notion that the soul merely returns to its god-world, as well as an illustration of a cub in its pen/cage.

A military and political theorist of the Sendai Domain, Hayashi Shihei was deeply concerned regarding the rise of the Western World’s military and naval power, especially the presence of Russia in East Asia. Thus, he saw as a need for Japan to strengthen its defences and lobbied the Tokugawa Shogunate for a strengthening of Japan's defenses and advocated supplementing traditional Samurai training with courses in Western military science.

Asides from this work, he published several other texts including Kaikoku Heidan in 1791, a work which invited significant misfortune upon him.

As his works were published without authorization from the Shogunate and critiqued foreign trade, he quickly fell out of trade, with his works becoming banned, as well the original woodblock printings plates destroyed. With that in mind, many subsequent copies that exist were produced by hand, as there was still significant demand for it.

Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu did not see any further printing until a copy was taken to Siberia, and later Paris, by Isaac Titsingh, where he produced a French translation. After his death, the printed original and Titsingh's translation were purchased, and in 1832, the Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland supported a posthumous abridged publication of Titsingh's French translation.

It should be noted that the atlas produced in Tenmei 5 is lacking, though finding both together is extremely rare.

Kokusho records a number of printed first editions held in Japanese institutions, but Worldcat only notes manuscript editions recorded in institution.

One volume in quarto (26 x 17.5 cm), 53 leaves

This volume is in good shape, with some wear and worming to the binding. The leaves have been wormed throughout, but professionally restored by a prior owner, with some text loss, mostly to the last five leaves.

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