unknown (educational series)

ca. 1886

Educational Pictorial Instructions: Animals, no. 8, Tiger
(Kyoiku kunga: Dobutsu dai hachi, Tora)

unsigned the artist; the series title Kyoiku kunga in the red cartouche, followed by pink cartouche subtitled, Dobutsu dai hachi (animals, design number eight) ending with the print title in kanji and hiragana, Tora, and in English, TIGER; the inset cartouche at upper left helpfully identifies the illustration: tora no shita (tiger tongue); dated twice on the left margin Meiji jukyunen ichigatsu jugoka, shuppan on todoke (Meiji 19 [1886] January 15, publisher registered), and again, Meiji jukyunen ichigatsu shuppan (Meiji 19 [1886] published), with name and address for publisher Hayashi Manjiro, ca. 1886

oban yoko-e 10 1/8 by 15 in., 25.7 by 38.2 cm

This print is from an unsigned series of perhaps fifty images produced by the publisher featuring a vaiety of animals, each identified in English with descriptive text in Japanese. The publisher does not seem to have been in business for long, although his name was known, he was not included in Andreas Marks' publisher compendium due to the lack of specific attributable publications. Surviving works from the series are very scarce; eight other known designs include: no. 1, Orangutan(?); no. 6, Lion; no. 24, Camel; no. 26, Sea Unicorn (Narwhal); no. 29, Kangaroo; no. 43, Ostrich; no. 49, Serpent(?); and no. 50, Sea Turtle(?).
(inv. no. 10-5392)

price: $1,200