Hoitsu Gafu 抱一畫譜 Sakai Hoitsu Rinpa Woodblock Picture Book Colophon Dated Bunka 14 1817 Edo Japanese Antique

抱一畫譜 HŌITSU GAFU, a Japanese woodblock-printed picture book of designs after Sakai Hōitsu (抱一), with plates printed in delicate color. Title slip on the front cover reads 抱一畫譜 完.

The colophon is dated 文化十四年二月吉辰 (an auspicious day of the second month, Bunka 14 = 1817) and names the book 抱一上人鶯邨畫譜 全, with Edo publishers' names (書林 和泉屋庄次郎, Asakusa Shinteramachi) and carver 朝倉八右衛門, and announces a sequel (後編 近刻). Colophon dated Bunka 14 (1817).

Opens with a large brushed preface/title spread (煙霞供養). Plates include a court lady with a koto in orange-red robes, chrysanthemums by a stream, irises, a seated courtier beneath a hanging pine, a round fan (uchiwa), and a deer with maple leaves, among others; many plates carry printed signatures and seals.

Binding: stab-bound (fukuro-toji) Japanese book with no spine; gray-green patterned paper covers.

Condition: Antique copy with age-appropriate wear: covers rubbed and worn at edges, small old inventory labels on the front cover, toning and light soiling to the leaves, a few small stains (including one on the colophon leaf). Plates remain fresh. Please see all photos.