Title: Sanjurokkasen (The Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry), Early to Mid Edo Period (1600-1700). A Calligraphy Album of Poetry on Thirty-Six Beautifully Painted and Illuminated Shikishi Format Leaves
Author: Various; Poetry Originally Compiled by Fujiwara no Kinto
Condition: Good
An Early Edo Period, 17th century manuscript album of the Sanjurokkasen, also more famously known as the Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, in thirty-six painted sheets of calligraphy.
Selected by Fujiwara no Kintō of the Heian Period, they are a group of Japanese poets of the Asuka, Nara, and Heian Periods as exemplars of Japanese poetic ability.
Since that, various editions of the Sanjurokkasen have been produced, from the Thirty-Six Female Immortals of Poetry, the New Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, and even the Late Classical Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, each with a unique selection of poets.
Each poem for their respective poet is produced on beautifully decorated shikishi (poetry paper, and in a few cases silk it seems) leaves, which have been mounted onto each album board. Each shikishi leaf has been decorated differently, though most are in a gold base. There are beautiful, subtle gold plant motifs, as well as golden sprays forming clouds and mist.
The slips or labels that would have identified the original calligrapher/calligraphers are lacking.
The paintings have been finely bound in album format, with decorated, blue brocade covers.
One album in orihon format (18.1 x 16.7 cm), 36 silk and paper, decorated shikishi format leaves
This album is in good shape, with rubbing and wear to the covers, and some peeling at the sides. Some of the shikishi leaves have been worn or chipped in places, with a bit of text impacted, or silk being worn out of place. One shikishi leaf is particularly damaged, with notable text and decorative loss.