Title: Sanjurokkasen Gajo (The Thirty-six Immortal Poets Picture Book), 1600-1650. A Beautiful Painting Album of Smiling Famed Poets, after the Heian Tosa Example
Author: After Tosa Nagataka; Tosa School; Poetry Originally Compiled by Fujiwara no Kinto
Condition: Very Good
An Early Edo Period, 17th century album entitled Sanjurokkasen Gajo, or a The Thirty-six Immortal Poets Picture Book.
Also more famously known as the Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, the original poetical composition was arranged by Fujiwara no Kintō of the Heian Period, being 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 leaf features a painting of a noted Heian poet, each painted in a lively and colorful manner, with many of the poets depicted with a cheerful demeanour, a bit of an odd and contrasting depiction from standard depictions.
Enclosed with the album is a letter of appraisal from a calligraphy and painting expert with seal and signature, attributing the work to be a copy after the Kamakura Period artist Tosa Nagataka, one of the very early painters of the Tosa School, and purported to have produced the "Mongol Invasion Illustrated Story". Judging by the quality of the art, this is most likely an Early Edo Period production by another artist of the Tosa School, having copied the original compositions.
All the paintings have been laid down and bound in a brocade decorated album, with shining gold against swirling flower designs. There is an early, battered wooden box to accompany the album, preserving the contents. The top of the box is near detached.
One brocade decorated album in orihon format (35 x 34.5 cm full size, 30.5 x 28.8 cm painting size), 36 paintings
This manuscript album is in very good shape, with minor rubbing and wear to the covers. There is some wear and paint loss throughout, with seven of the poets suffering heavier loss.