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Unai no tomo (Book of Toys) : [volume 5]

Nishizawa, Tekiho, 1889-1965, Shimizu, Seifū, 1851-1913 · 1913 · Kyoto : Yamada Unsōdō 山田芸艸堂 · 24 pictures

Unai no tomo is a Japanese illustrated catalogue of traditional toys, published in Kyoto in 1913 by Yamada Unsōdō and drawn by Nishizawa Tekiho and Shimizu Seifū for a general audience of collectors and craft lovers. Its pages show hand-coloured woodblock-style toys in flat, outlined colour: painted daruma dolls with plum blossom, a wooden horse on wheels, stacked bells, sumo figures and ceramic-looking animals, each set on a plain page with brief handwritten Japanese labels that a designer could borrow for folk-pattern and toy-inspired graphics.

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