Title: Chinjutsu Banpo Zensho (Complete Book of Rare and Treasured Arts), 1764. The Fourteenth Edition of Tagaya’s Collection of Various Topics, Including the Rare Chinjutsu Sangebukuro on Magical Tricks, With Numerous Woodblock Illustrations. In Five Volumes
Author: Compiled by Kanchusen Tagaya
Condition: Very Good
A rare Mid Edo Period, 18th century edition of Kanchusen Tagaya’s Chinjutsu Banpo Zensho, or the Complete Book of Rare and Treasured Arts.
The text is a collection of five books written in the Edo Period that cover a wide range of topics, from magic tricks to those useful in everyday life, comprising of: Mansei Himitsu Makura, Seho Denjubukuro, Tangshi Himitsu Kai, Chinjutsu Sangebukuro (Magic and Other Entertainments Revealed), and Zoku Sangebukuro. They introduce mysterious and bizarre techniques, such as "The method of not drinking alcohol" and "The method of growing five-colored feathers on a crane," and imagery of other parlor tricks, secret techniques, and games, all vividly depicted. There are quite a few illustrations of hand shadows, tricks involving dice, special sound effects, and more.
There are 85 pages of woodblock illustrations, with some full-page examples.
There is an afterword dated to Meiwa 1.
Five volumes in quarto (22.5 x 15.5 cm), 28, 71, 74, 45, 19 leaves
These volumes are in very good shape, with some wear and minor staining to the bindings. There is minor, marginal worming to volumes 3-5.