Title: The Manuscript Painting Book of Noguchi Shosai, Circa 1840-1870. Manuscript Sketchbook of Paintings by a Japanese Painter of the Late Edo to Early Meiji Period. Hundreds of Skilled, Copied Illustrations and Original Subjects, including Reproductions from Hokusai’s Manga
Author: Noguchi Shosai
Condition: Good
A Late Edo Period, mid to late 19th century manuscript entitled Shugacho, or Painting Practice. As the name would entail, this manuscript is packed with countless illustrations, with 92 pages of beautifully painted illustrations. For an artist of unknown renown, the quality of his work is quite remarkable, with a vast variety of colors and shading techniques, and every illustration lovingly rendered with heavy detail.
The subjects of the illustrations are varying, with numerous animals at the beginning such as turtles, mice, prancing horses and more. There are also a few mythical creatures such as phoenixes, and several pages of Komainu, or Guardian Lions. There are beautiful, lushly detailed flowers and landscapes, and various collections of images to pages in the style of the Hokusai Manga. There are also notable figures depicted, such as Daikokuten and Budai of the Shichifukujin (Seven Lucky Gods), the powerful gaze of the Daruma, the demonic vanquisher Zhong Kui, and more. Many of these are likely rough copies of early paintings, though others are clearly original interpretations or subjects.
The author and artist of this manuscript is one Noguchi Shosai, a Japanese painter, and aged 92 when producing this manuscript, though very little is known about his background or career.
One manuscript in folio (32.3 x 22.5 cm), 46 leaves
This manuscript is in good shape, with some rubbing and wear to the covers, the corners creased or peeled, and a few old wormholes. Many of the page corners are dogeared or more creased, and there is scattered worming to the margins, not impacting illustrations all too much.