ANÁLISIS DE LA VIABILIDAD DE LA INVERSIÓN

Printing Plants and Insects in Color: Yama no sachi

In the third month of 1765, three years after the publication of Umi no sachi, a second illustrated haikai poetry anthology printed in the full-color technique was

published in the city of Edo (Fig. 2.1).266 _{Entitled Yama no sachi 山の幸, or Treasures of}

the Mountain, this book again brought together Katsuma Ryūsui as artist, editor Sekijukan Shūkoku, and carver Sekiguchi Jinshirō. Each turn of the page in Yama no sachi’stwo volumes reveals an elegantly color-printed plant species accompanied by an insect, small reptile, or rodent. Each picture is paired with corresponding haikai poems. Shifting from the bounty of the sea to the mountain, Yama no sachi matches the earlier book of fish in its size, deluxe materials, and even its thematic conceit, yet it exceeds the earlier color-printing methods with even greater variation in techniques and subtlety of overlaid applications of color.

Yet Yama no sachi has received limited attention by scholars to date. Contemporaneous with, but overshadowed by, the full-color, single-sheet “nishiki-e (brocade prints) revolution,” as it has been called in ukiyo-e studies, Yama no sachi nevertheless represents a critical stage of early full-color printing’s development: a material object of technical and artistic innovation in color printing made before printed full-color books became more fully the purview of commercial ukiyo-e publishers. This chapter therefore focuses closely on the book itself, especially its selected subjects, their arrangement, and the color printing techniques used to depict them. By setting Yama no

266 _{All illustrations and page references given in this chapter to Yama no sachi refer to the impression held}

sachi’s distinctive selections and printed color at the center of analysis, this chapter makes the case for the complexity of Yama no sachi’s meaning and its significance as an early book of full-color printing in Japan. Whereas the previous chapter sought to connect the innovative, polychrome materiality of Umi no sachi with the book’s unusual choice of subject, in this chapter I posit Yama no sachi’s printed color as a site of experimentation and further maturity, in which a new level of sophistication may be seen.

As one of the first in-depth studies of Yama no sachi, this chapter aims to add to the existing literature by establishing Yama no sachi’s contributions to the history of printed color and its place within a wider context of cultural production. Therefore, the chapter begins by examining how scholars have addressed the book to date. After setting its art-historical background in place, this chapter examines the meanings and

significance of Yama no sachi through both a close focus on its contents, materials, and structure, and also an investigation of how its subjects and their presentation, especially through printed color, relate to a wider range of prior and contemporary practices in poetry, painting, and printed books.

The first area of investigation centers on how Yama no sachi continues or departs from the precedent set by Umi no sachi. To establish their practical connections, I begin by examining the book’s colophon and prefaces, which give evidence of a shared

network of producers and their intent to create a sequel. Furthermore, the language of the prefaces signals particular concerns related to the representation of natural subjects in printed color—concerns shared with the project of Umi no sachi, as previously seen. The cultural significance of pairing the sea with the mountain is also discussed, demonstrating that the overall themes of Umi no sachi and Yama no sachi are also conceptually linked.

Next, while Yama no sachi shares practical, conceptual, and material links with the earlier book, close examination of the book’s contents, color printing, and design also reveals meaningful differences of approach. The following section thus turns to Yama no sachi’s contents and their organization. Through their relationship to period encyclopedic taxonomy, to Japanese poetry, and to the East Asian genre of flower-and-bird painting (kachōga, C. huaniaohua, 花鳥画), I outline the selection of insects and flowering plants as the primary subjects of the “treasures of the mountain,” contrasted with the earlier book’s selection of fish. I also consider how Yama no sachi’s mostly seasonal

sequence—and exceptions within that sequence—highlight significant changes in the organization and layout of the book. Investigating these elements of the book’s design, such as the structural relationship of text and image as well as the composition of

individual pages, reveals a new degree of standardization or uniformity in the approach to overall organization.

Then, in the subsequent section, I focus on the book’s varied color printing techniques and the effects that they produce. In contrast to the more regulated approach to text and image, the color printing, I argue, provided a means of technical and aesthetic exploration. I chart the quantity and qualities of Yama no sachi’s color, its variation of printing techniques, and the greater delicacy of its effects, to demonstrate how it expresses, on the one hand, a sense of trial-and-error and, on the other, a new level of complexity and sophistication. To interpret the unusual refinement of Yama no sachi’s color printing, I consider the comparisons provided by several significant color-printed painting manuals of the period, including the well-known Mustard Seed Garden Manual

of Painting. I also consider the contemporary illustrated book Sō Shiseki gafu宋紫石画 譜 (Painting Album of Sō Shiseki, 1765), published in the same year as Yama no sachi and featuring a number of color-printed compositions after the mid-eighteenth century painter Sō Shiseki 宋紫石 (1715-1786). I argue that these comparative perspectives bring into sharper focus Yama no sachi’s cultivation of color as a technical and aesthetic

priority.

Existing Literature on Yama no sachi

Like Umi no sachi, Yama no sachi is well known by scholars of Japanese illustrated books, but until now it has received limited analysis and interpretation.

Previous discussions of Yama no sachi tend to fall into one of three categories. The most common are brief citations within larger studies of color printing and of illustrated books, which note the fact of the book’s color printing and provide basic details of publication. At a second, deeper level of investigation, previous writers have remarked on its

relationship to the earlier Umi no sachi, briefly comparing the two books. Third, a few scholars have considered whether Yama no sachi may have influenced later ukiyo-e artists working in natural subjects.

Yama no sachi’s status as an early work of full-color printing is acknowledged in several of the most important studies on this subject. The pioneering exhibition Nishiki-e no tanjō錦絵の誕生(The Birth of Nishiki-e) provides a typical example. A short entry in the exhibition catalogue points out Yama no sachi’s color printing, its continuation of the Umi no sachi theme, and the fact that it was published in 1765, the same watershed

year that is typically associated with Suzuki Harunobu’s full-color sheet prints.267 The catalogue also offers limited information about the book’s producers, naming artist and editor (Ryūsui and Shūkoku, respectively) as well as the publishers, Matsumoto Zenbē

and Ōsakaya Heizaburō, although no further information is given about the activities of these figures. Most other discussions of Yama no sachi in the existing literature consist of concise citations of this kind, and invariably occur within larger studies of color-printing developments or of the history of illustrated books in Japan.268

Unsurprisingly, Yama no sachi is frequently mentioned in conjunction with its predecessor Umi no sachi, which receives fuller—though still limited—attention, as discussed at the beginning of the previous chapter. The two books certainly invite comparison: they were produced by the same team of editor, artist, and carver and include some of the same poets, as discussed below; they both use the new technique of full-color printing; and, of course, they employ related themes. These fundamental similarities were established nearly a century ago by Mori Senzō, a historian of haikai publishing.269 However, the lion’s share of attention often goes to Umi no sachi, perhaps due to its earlier, pioneering date of publication in 1762 and its remarkable combination of color-printing techniques with a fresh subject.270 _{Also notable is the fact that Yama no}

sachi does not appear in any substantive way in some key publications on Harunobu, where one might expect Yama no sachi to form part of the larger context for the

development of full-color printing. For instance, it is mentioned but not discussed further

267 _{Edo-Tokyo Hakubutsukan, Nishiki-e no tanjō, 135, entry 4-94.}

268 _{For further examples, see (among others) Fritz Rumpf, “Die Anfänge des Farbenholzschnittes in China}

und Japan,” 10, and Matsudaira Susumu, “Ehon shi no naka no eiri haisho,” 65.

269 _{See Mori Senzō, “Katsuma Ryūsui.” Many recent writers repeat the information found in this text.} 270 _{For instance, see Imahashi’s treatment of the two books in Imahashi Riko, Edo no kachōga, 314.}

in David Waterhouse’s Harunobu and His Age: The Development of Colour Printing in Japan.271 _{The imbalance in the literature on the two books means that Yama no sachi has}

received comparatively less investigation as an object of analysis in its own right. Nevertheless, useful observations about the book’s color and presentation can be found in scholarship on illustrated books of the period. These observations represent the deeper level of investigations which all look at Yama no sachi’s relationship to Umi no sachi. Haikai publishing scholar Kira Sueo, who has consistently asserted the place of Umi no sachi and Yama no sachi in the development of multiple-block color printing, goes beyond the standard citations in the literature when he points to the social network of Edoza poets behind Yama no sachi and makes concise remarks about the book’s use of color.272 Kira wrote that its color printing displays a darker, earthier tonality, asserting that “through its simplicity one can feel a sense of quiet elegance.”273 _{A similar}

evaluation was made by Mori Senzō in a journal entry from 1937, where he wrote of seeing a copy of Yama no sachi in person for the first time. Mori observed that although the pictures seem “amateur,” in terms of elegance, he still found them superior even to Umi no sachi.274 A few commentators have remarked upon other changes in style between the two books. For instance, Claudia Waltermann briefly mentions the books in her own discussion of mid-eighteenth century haikai anthologies. She calls Ryūsui’s

271 _{See the end of the descriptive entry for Umi no sachi, in David Waterhouse, Harunobu and His Age, 293.} Yama no sachi is not mentioned in Waterhouse’s catalogue of Harunobu prints at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, though Katsuma Ryūsui receives brief discussion, as detailed in chapter one (see 6, note 9).

272 _{Kira’s remarks on Yama no sachi are still brief, limited to several paragraphs within larger discussions}

of illustrated haikai books. See Kira Sueo, “Tashokuzuri ebaisho ni tsuite,” and Kira Sueo, Haisho no hanashi.

273 _{Kira Sueo, “Tashokuzuri ebaisho ni tsuite,” 16.}

274 _{Mori Senzō, “Zokusho nikki” 続書日記, in Mori Senzō chosakushū zokuhen 森銑三著作集続編, vol.}

designs for Yama no sachi “freer, more artistic” and less detailed, noting that the plants and insects are more stylized than his earlier fish.275 _{Jack Hillier assessed Yama no}

sachi’s color printing even more favorably in his magnum opus, The Art of the Japanese Book, where he suggests that it could even be considered “the high-water mark of wood- block colour-printing.”276 Supporting this assertion, Hillier narrates his encounter with Yama no sachi’s illustrations in keenly observed, close detail; however, like his treatment of Umi no sachi, his remarks do not provide a full examination of the book’s contents, materiality, or contexts.277

Finally, as noted in the previous chapter, several art historians have suggested that Ryūsui’s books offered inspiration for later naturalist albums by ukiyo-e artists. Suzuki Jūzō, among others, has argued cogently for the possibility that Yama no sachi may have inspired Kitagawa Utamaro’s later Ehon mushi erami 絵本虫えらみ (Illustrated Book: Selected Insects, 1788), which also combines illustrations of plants and insects with matching poems. Using several examples drawn from compositions in each book, Suzuki concludes that it is not possible to trace any direct copying from Yama no sachi to Ehon mushi erami, but he insists that the mutual resemblances are too resonant to be dismissed outright.278 Suzuki’s study focuses on Utamaro’s books, not Ryūsui’s, but his conclusion points to a general sense among scholars that Ryūsui’s early and unusual books may well have been influential in later decades. Hinohara Kenji echoes this argument in his

275 _{Claudia Waltermann, Die bebilderte “haikai”-Anthologie “Kageboshi” (1754), 35.}

276 _{Hillier’s esteem for Yama no sachi might also be inferred from the five full-page reproductions of Yama} no sachi in The Art of the Japanese Book, compared with only three half-page illustrations of Umi no sachi. See reproductions on 238–249.

277 _{Ibid., 243–246.}

analysis of the poetry book Haikai na no shiori誹諧名知折 (Haikai Guide to Names, 1781), illustrated by Kitao Shigemasa 北尾重政 (1739-1820).279 Like Suzuki, Hinohara argues that there are too many differences in composition for Yama no sachi to be the immediate model for Haikai na no shiori, but he suggests that Shigemasa’s designs of plants and the overall compositions probably took a cue from Ryūsui’s “minutely detailed” pictures in Umi no sachi and Yama no sachi.280

The literature highlighted above gives a sense of the current state of scholarship on Yama no sachi. The book has clearly been acknowledged in research on color printing and on illustrated books, but overall it is treated as an ancillary topic. Most appearances in the literature consist of basic citations of publication details. In addition, Yama no sachi frequently takes a backseat to discussions of Umi no sachi’s novel representations of fish. The most analytical observations directed at Yama no sachi to date have focused on whether its designs were directly imitated by later ukiyo-e artists working on similar themes. None of these studies concentrates on Yama no sachi itself. Although the status of Yama no sachi as a sequel seems to be well understood, evidence for this assumption has yet to be fully laid out, as I attempt to do below. Full transcriptions or translations have yet to be published of the book’s text (which, as in the case of Umi no sachi, remains difficult to read due to its elaborate calligraphic style and the orthography of early modern written Japanese). Similarly, the book has not yet received a close

279 _{Hinohara Kenji, “Kitao Shigemasa ga ‘Haikai nano shiori’ ni tsuite: Kamigata ehon kara no kachōga}

gakushū o chūshin ni 北尾重政画『誹諧名知折』について―上方絵本からの花鳥画学習を中心に―

(Haikai nano shiori by Kitao Shigemasa: The influence of Kyoto and Osaka bird-and-flower books on Shigemasa),” Bijutsushi 153 (October 2002): 76–91.

examination of its materiality, the selection or sequence of species, and the artistic and cultural milieux that informed its creation.

However, two recent, library-based projects should be noted. First, a partial transcription of Yama no sachi has been completed by Dr. Kanata Fusako of the National Institute of Japanese Literature; I have referred to this valuable document when checking my own transcriptions and translations of the book’s text.281 Second, a recent report on rare materials cataloguing by the National Diet Library records several differences in printing between an impression of Yama no sachi in the library’s collection and several other known copies.282 Professor Suzuki Jun, an expert on Japanese premodern books, has also reviewed the condition and contents of this impression of Yama no sachi; this brief but valuable overview is expected to be added to the National Diet Library website when the book is published online.283 _{As these projects demonstrate, the state of research}

on Yama no sachi is improving, spurred at least in part by efforts to digitize understudied books of this kind.284

281 _{Volume 1 only, based upon the copy of Yama no sachi held by University of Oslo Library (object ID} 71503734810002201). Transcription by Kanata Fusako, available at http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-33082

(accessed: 3 August 2016). I wish to thank Dr. Kanata for permitting me to cite her work here, and for generously sharing her knowledge with me by email. I am also grateful to Naomi Yabe Magnussen of the University of Oslo Library for her kind assistance.

282 _{This report focuses on digital resources as an aid to rare materials cataloguing. See Itō Risa, “Intānetto o} katsuyōshita kotenseki no chōsa: ‘Yama no sachi’ o rei niインターネットを活用した古典籍の調査： 「山幸（山の幸）」を例に,” Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan Geppō 651 (July 2015): 11-14.

283 _{I wish to thank Dr. Suzuki for his kindness in sharing this unpublished document with me, and for his}

encouragement of my study of Yama no sachi.

284 _{Digitization projects and rare materials cataloguing at museums and libraries have provided significant}

data that are useful to my own study of Yama no sachi’s materials and content in this chapter. The Pulverer Collection at the Freer/Sackler Galleries, Smithonian Insitution; National Diet Library; Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University; Waseda University Library; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Getty Research Institute; and the University of Oslo Library are just a few of the institutions whose digitization and cataloguing efforts have been indispensable to my research.

In sum, discussions of Yama no sachi in the scholarly literature are brief and relatively few, but they do provide fundamental observations on the work’s continued significance as the sequel to Umi no sachi. This chapter will build on prior studies by pursuing these observations analytically. By placing Yama no sachi at the center of investigation, it presents a series of arguments about the book’s relationship to Umi no