Forty-eight Instructive Poems in Alphabetical Order (Ehon irohauta 絵本以呂波歌) : [volume 2]

Suzuki, Harunobu, 1725?-1770 · 1788 · Osaka : Kawachiya Yahei, 河内屋八兵衛; Edo : Suharaya Ichibei, 須原屋市兵衛 · 9 pictures

This is an 1788 Japanese illustrated book of moral poems arranged by the kana syllabary, published in Osaka by Kawachiya Yahei and in Edo by Suharaya Ichibei, with designs attributed to Suzuki Harunobu, who died in 1770, so the drawings were likely made earlier. Each double-page spread pairs a calligraphic verse with a small genre scene of townspeople, women, and travellers in domestic and garden settings. A designer could draw on its spare, open line work, flat ink washes, and the economical way each scene is framed by text and a single gesture.

Japanese poetry · Japan -- Social life and customs

Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · No known copyright restrictions · More from this library