Kacho gafu 花鳥画譜 [Album of Birds and Flowers]

22 folded leaves, woodcuts printed in black, orange and green on medium-weight Washi paper, original yellow covers, soiled, original label rubbed, 8vo, Tokyo, Okura Magobei, 1884

Tachibana Unga (1828-1885 [Meiji 18]) trained under Ooka Unpo and Katsushika Hokusai. Despite being active from the Kaei to Meiji periods, only two volumes of his work are known today. His first work, “Zappitsu Gashiki”, was published in 1878, and this work was first published in 1880.

The earlier versions of Kacho gafu are printed in black, or with only other colour being orange. Kacho gafu was reprinted in 1894 by Tomita Yoshijiro.

Each leaf is captioned with the type of bird and flower in Japanese. Some species include falcons, eagles, storks, finches, swallows and owls.

This was produced during the Meiji period, an important time for Japanese art. In 1868 the restoration of imperial rule in Japan brought the Edo shogunate to an end, and marked the start of the Meiji era, which would last until the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912. During this brief period Japan transformed itself from an isolated feudal nation to a world power. The historic skills of Japan’s traditional arts played a vital part in the struggle to compete in international markets.

The masterpieces of Meiji art, in a unique style blending the best of traditional design with prevailing international taste, are unrivalled in the quality of their craftsmanship and were avidly sought by Western collectors.