Hokusai onna imagawa ("Precepts for Women, Illustrated by Hokusai").

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An early monochrome printing, preceding later inferior colour impressions, of the Hokusai edition of Precepts for Women, a key text for the construction of gender norms in 19th century Japan. Hokusai's woodblocks, ranging from the peaceful to the dramatic, do not directly illustrate the text but draw out its key themes with his typical vibrancy. Precepts for Women was composed in 1687 by Sawada Kichi, about whom little is known. One of a group of rote-learned texts known as the "Japanese Analects", it consists of her instructions and injunctions concerning proper behaviour, including such gems as "young women should not make irrelevant pilgrimages to shrines and temples simply for enjoyment" and "when people visit, it is rude to reveal your bad humour or take your annoyance out on them" (quoted in Yonemoto, pp. 51-2). "They strike the reader as a curious blend of vague moralizing and exacting specificity regarding actions and behaviours" (ibid., p. 52). Sawada modelled her text after the Admonitions of Imagawa, a leading instructional text for boys popular in the 17th century. Marcia Yonemoto, The Problem of Women in Early Modern Japan, 2016. Octavo (228 x 156 mm). Original paper wrappers illustrated with white chrysanthemums, recently renewed gold thread yotsume toji stitching, front cover with xylographic title label. Title page decorated with spring garden flowers, 26 full-page illustrations in text. Original silk spine caps discarded when stitching renewed, covers worn with a little worming, illustrations generally presenting nicely with occasional old staining and repaired worming, some loss to image at fore-edge of f. 7, sometime repaired with paper. A very good copy of this delicate publication. Seller Inventory # 161738

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