Woodblock Bookplate from Kōno Bairei’s — Bairei kiku hyakushu 梅嶺菊百種 (Bairei’s One Hundred Varieties of Chrysanthemums).

This is a single bookplate from Volume 3. The print is inscribed with the artist’s seal.

Super fine, color woodblock print. From an antique, fine art album that included impressive scenes with 22 varieties of chrysanthemums.

Impeccable state of preservation, without insect damage or other defects. There is nearly no trace of ever being thumbed through.

This masterful composition of Kōno Bairei’s is from his very last years, and is at the pinnacle of thin-coloring japanese printing.

Title: Bairei kiku hyakushu 梅嶺菊百種

Date: This bookplate is from vol.3: 1896 (Meiji 29)

Artist: Kōno Bairei 幸野楳嶺 (1841-1895)

Publisher: Ōkura Magobē 大倉孫兵衛 (1843-1921)

City: Tokyo

Medium: Woodblock printed; ink and color on paper

Format: hanshibon

Size: 11 1/2” x 8 1/4” (that is the size inside the margins)

A brief biography on the artist Kōno Bairei:

Kōno Bairei was born and worked in Kyoto, where he began his training at the age of eight with Nakajima Raishō (1796-1871), a Maruyama school artist, and later with Shiokawa Bunrin (1808-1877) of the Shijō school. He was well-known in the Meiji period for his ukiyo-e prints and paid special attention to pictures of birds and flowers (kachō-e). Bairei was a well-known figure in the Kyoto art scene and played a critical role in the founding of the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting. In 1881, he opened his own studio and began to take on students.

Bairei is best recognized for his illustrated books and kacho-e, or bird-and-flower prints. In 1883, he released his most popular work, Bairei kacho gafu (Bairei’s Album of Flowers and Birds). This album considers pairs of birds and flowers throughout the four seasons. Like many of his fellow Meiji-period artists, Bairei incorporates some aspects of Western art in his work, yet retains a fidelity to the spirit of the woodblock print medium. In 1893, Kōno Bairie’s critical and commercial success was honored with his appointment to the Art Committee of the Imperial Household.

Chrysanthemums and their important cultural relevance to the people of Japan: The Chrysanthemum, or Kiku in Japanese, is a symbol that represents longevity, vitality and rejuvenation. When first introduced to Japan during the Nara period (710 – 793AC), the Japanese Royal Family was fascinated with the Chrysanthemum. Eventually, during the passing of the years, the Chrysanthemum become the Imperial Family Emblem. The Chrysanthemum has many traditional uses in Japanese art and culture. Amongst specific groups, they are deemed valuable and used for important Shintō and Buddhist rituals. There are more than 150 seals or mon featuring the Chrysanthemum or Kiku. There is an old phrase that describes the chrysanthemum as “senkyō ni saku reiyaku,” which means: “the elixir that grows within the enchanted lands.” This truly expresses the place of high of value the chrysanthemum has held since ancient times.