EON Online is a comprehensive e-commerce tool that includes online ordering, real-time account information, reporting and budgeting tools, delivery tracking, and much more. With its simple, intuitive design, EON Online is designed to make purchasing easy and cost-effective. Authorized users have access to EON Online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
An ehon was the result of the same team of skilled persons that we know from the production process of ukiyo-e - the publisher, the artist, the carver, the printer and in addition a writer. The majority of the Japanese books were published in the sewn format. The single pages were folded at the fore edge and kept together with a. Tips: You can use keys ￩ or ￫ to browse between pages. Best viewed on Desktop.
E-hon or Ehon (絵本) is the Japanese term for picture books. It may be applied in the general sense, or may refer specifically to a type of woodblock printed illustrated volume published in the Edo period.
The first ehon were religious items with images by Buddhist painters.[1] Those from the Muromachi period are typically known as nara-ehon.[2] In the early modern period (1600–1868) illustrated books exploded in popularity. They covered a diverse range of subjects with experimentation in production techniques.[1]
Ehon production was a significant part of the Japanese publishing industry (particularly) during the 19th century; most Japanese woodblock printartists of the period produced ehon designs (often in large quantities), as commercial work.[3]
Toward the end of the 19th century, ehon chapter-books were eclipsed in popularity by the new 'western' concept of literary magazines. These were larger books which contained more, and a wider range of material per-issue, but usually fewer pictures (measured on a text-to-images ratio). They often used more modern printing methods; the increase in production costs was offset by increased efficiency, larger-scale printing and distribution, and the introduction of advertising. Typically, a magazine would include one large folded, polychrome illustration referencing some 'feature' story in the volume, as a frontispiece. Such pictures, woodblock-printed in colour, are known as kuchi-e. The new format also absorbed most of the remaining talent and market for ukiyo-e style prints.
Notable ehon[edit]
Artist manuals or model books (edehon)[4] were treasured by art schools and became popular with the public. Ōoka Shunboku's Ehon tekagami ('Hand mirror') of 1720 demonstrated characteristic styles of different artists. Illustrations which were either handpainted or stenciled appear in his Minchō shiken of 1746, based on the successful Chinese Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden of 1679 which was released as a Japanese version, Kaishien gaden, in 1748.[5]
In 1765 polychrome woodblock printing was developed in Edo. The prints were called nishiki-e, ie. brocade pictures, because of their similarity to color silk brocades (nishiki). The first large-scale commercial book with full-color printing was Ehon butai ōgi in 1770, with artwork by ukiyo-e artists Katsukawa Shunshō and Ippitsusai Bunchō. The book featured realistic depictions of kabuki actors (nigao-e) and was popular with theatergoers.[5] The same year saw the publication of Tachibana Minkō's Shokunin burui which was colored with a stenciling technique known as kappazuri.[5] It depicted craftsmen at work at was immediately successful. Also published in 1770 was Ehon seirō bijin awase by Suzuki Harunobu which combined hokku poetry with images of courtesans from the Yoshiwara brothel district.[5]
In 1790 the Tokugawa shogunate introduced severe censorship laws for publishers. They targeted 'luxurious' works and for a while publishers ceased production of color woodblock-printed books.[5]
The famous ukiyo-e artist Hokusai worked on dozens of ehon early in his career. In 1814 the first volume of his Hokusai manga was published which featured hundreds of drawings colored with gray and rose pink tones. Its popularity with multiple subsequent volumes appears to have influenced other publishers to use a simplified palette of subdued color.[5] One of the finest ehon works is his 100 Views of Mount Fuji released in 1834–35 in two volumes by Nishimuraya Yohachi with extremely fine carving by the workshop of Egawa Tomekichi and exquisite grey gradations (bokashi). It is seen as the pinnacle of monochrome printing.[6][7]
Manufacture[edit]
Most ehon of the Edo period were made with side-stitched binding. They used highly durable washi paper. A page is made from a single sheet printed on one side which is folded printed side out. These folded sheets are bound at their open ends with cords of twisted paper which go through two holes made in the stack of sheets. The bookcover is glued to blank outer pages and attached to the stack of pages with a hemp cord stitched through four holes which penetrate the covers and book block. This method of binding is called fukurotoji.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abKeyes, Roger S. (2006). Ehon: The Artist and the Book in Japan. New York Public Library.
- ^http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/n/naraehon.htm
- ^'NYPL Digital Gallery | Explore All Collections'. Digitalgallery.nypl.org. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
- ^http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/e/edehon.htm
- ^ abcdefJun, Suzuki. 'The Pulverer Collection and the World of Color-Printed Illustrated Books: An Introduction to Edo-Period Masterworks'. Smithsonian.
- ^Hillier, Jack (1980). The Art of Hokusai in Book Illustration.
- ^Calza, Gian Carlo (2003). Hokusai. Phaidon.
- ^Tinios, Ellis. 'The Physical Properties of Hokusai's Books'. Smithsonian.
External links[edit]
Media related to E-hon at Wikimedia Commons
- The World of the Japanese Illustrated Book The Gerhard Pulverer Collection
- Ehon: the artist and the book in Japan New York Public Library
9800
Kunisada Utagawa 1786-1864
Inaka Genji Vol11 (e-hon)
'Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji' Vol.11 part 2. Story by Ryutei Tanehiko.
$50 - 8/19/2004
Ehon are old, illustrated Japanese books. Although they are very similar to ukiyo-e - Japanese woodblock prints - ehon are still pretty much undiscovered as collector's items. This article is a short overview of ehon for those who are not familiar with the subject.
Ehon and E-Hon
What is the difference between ehon and e-hon? None at all. These are only different writings, which can often be found in adaptations of Japanese words or names - much to the distress of Westerners. Hon means book in Japanese and e stands for picture.
The History of Japanese Printing
The roots of Japanese printing are in China. China had invented paper and techniques to copy written text or images several centuries before the Europeans.
Early documents were written on scrolls. Like in Europe, these early 'books' were of religious nature. Writing, publishing and reading were reserved for monks and priests.
The great boom of Japanese book publishing and printing came during the Edo period (1603-1868). Novels and picture books became popular - not to forget shunga books with explicit erotic images.
The next upswing for book publishing came with the Meiji era, during which Japan opened itself towards the West. In 1872 compulsory elementary school was introduced, and by and by a larger part of the population stepped out of the darkness of illiteracy. Novels about love, life and family became popular especially among women.
As the average Japanese housewife could not afford to buy books, rental book stores soon popped up everywhere in Japanese cities.
The Techniques of Ehon
The techniques used to produce ehon, were the same that were used to produce single sheet woodblock prints as known by collectors of ukyio-e and by art lovers all over the world. Each page was cut into a woodblock and printed by wetting the block with ink and pressing a sheet of paper against the block. For multi-color printing several blocks had to be carved - one for each color.
With the Meiji period, Western lithographic or photo-mechanical printing techniques gradually replaced the old way of printing by carving woodblocks.
The Materials for Ehon
When speaking of materials, the paper and the dyes have to be mentioned. While papers in the Western cultures were made from rags and wood pulp, the Japanese paper is obtained from wood of the mulberry. There are hundreds of different Japanese paper variations and names. The common name for all Japanese papers is washi.
What is Washi?
Washi is the result of a very laborious process of paper-making. In general it is superior to Western papers in terms of durability and purity.
Colors Used for Woodblock Printing
The Japanese used natural pigment colors until around 1860. From then on the natural color pigments from minerals and plants were replaced by aniline colors. Early aniline dyes imported from Germany were often poor in quality and had the tendency of 'bleeding' - colors running out, mainly the red. Natural colors on the other hand have the disadvantage of fading over the course of time.
The Cooperative Process
An ehon was the result of the same team of skilled persons that we know from the production process of ukiyo-e - the publisher, the artist, the carver, the printer and in addition a writer.
Hon and Cho
The majority of the Japanese books were published in the sewn format. The single pages were folded at the fore edge and kept together with a string using four or five binding holes.
The starting page of a Japanese book is what Westerners would consider the last page. Lay down the book with the binding holes and strings on the right side and you have the book cover! Text is read not from left to right, but from top to bottom.
Another format of Japanese books are accordion structures with a few variations. Westerners call them albums - maybe because they were the preferred format of books with images only. The Japanese call them cho.
Ehon from our Archive
Eon Online Sbb
All ehon on display are from our archive of sold Japanese prints.
65896
Chinese Poems, Five Syllables, Vol. 1 - Vol.5
$850 - 7/23/2015
4635
Picture Book of Taikoki (e-hon)
$100 - 2/16/2003
4628
Early Picture Book of Ancient Stories (5 vols. e-hon)
$440 - 2/16/2003
9814
Yamato Bunko action story, Vol.32 (e-hon)
$60 - 7/11/2004
16027
Shinji Ando Vol.1
$100 - 8/21/2005
4632
One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (e-hon)
$110 - 2/16/2003
45334
Picture Story of Gyosai - Naihen Vol.1
$140 - 8/22/2010
16827
Ehon Minanokawa
$280 - 10/23/2005
6392
Fujin Fuzoku zukushi (36 oban panels, e-hon album)
$1,900 - 9/28/2003
16031
Eon Online Catalog
Shinji Ando Vol.5
$100 - 8/28/2005
39754
Kyogaen Vol.1
$120 - 2/1/2009
9817
Yamato Bunko action story, Vol.31 (e-hon)
$40 - 8/19/2004
44444
The Examples of Sentences
$170 - 4/25/2010
67330
Matching Beauties in Tea Houses - Seiro Bijin Awase Sugata Kagami
$260 - 12/17/2015
6394
Picture of Souvenirs from Edo - Ehon Edo Miyage (e-hon, book)
Eon Online Chat
$460 - 9/28/2003
6951
Seiro Ehon Nenju Gyoji Vol.1 (e-hon)
$1,500 - 11/27/2003
19471
World of Art - Bijutsu Sekai Vol.1
$120 - 3/19/2006
20951
World of Art - Bijutsu Sekai Vol. 7
$120 - 6/18/2006
20946
World of Art - Bijutsu Sekai Vol.2
$130 - 6/25/2006
20954
World of Art - Bijutsu Sekai Vol.10
$130 - 6/25/2006
10205
Ryusai Sohitsu Gafu (e-hon, book)
$300 - 7/11/2004
9803
Wig of Flowers - Hanakazura (e-hon)
$460 - 6/27/2004
16028
Shinji Ando Vol.2
$100 - 8/21/2005
24933
Drumming God is Thunder God - Bijutsu Sekai Vol.16
$80 - 12/17/2006
Eon Online
20500
World of Art - Bijutsu Sekai Vol.9
$80 - 5/14/2006
14017
Beauties and Natural Wonders - World of Art
Eon Online Login
$380 - 5/15/2005
20948
World of Art - Bijutsu Sekai Vol.4
$150 - 6/4/2006
14338
Ryusai Sohitsu Gafu Vol.2
Egon Online
$160 - 5/29/2005
23142
The Stories of Kabuki Plays at Teikoku Theater
$50 - 10/29/2006
9043
Eon Online Account
Onna Imagawa (e-hon book)
$150 - 4/25/2004
9801
Kyokaku Den Vol 6 (e-hon)
$80 - 8/19/2004
9816
Yamato Bunko action story, Vol.35 (e-hon)
$40 - 8/19/2004
13456
Giraiya Action Story
$130 - 4/24/2005
13457
Giraiya Action Story
$130 - 4/24/2005
13458
Giraiya Action Story
$130 - 4/24/2005
13460
Hokusetsu Action Story
$160 - 4/24/2005
Author:
Dieter Wanczura
First Publication: 2/12/2005
Latest Update: 11/13/2020
Literature source
- Jack Hillier and Lawrence Smith, 'Japanese Prints. 300 Years of Albums and Books', London, British Museum Press, 1980.
Accordion e-hon by Hiroshige II Utagawa. The Mirror of Teaching Customs & Manners for Women. Subscribe to the artelino youtube channel.
Other Articles Related to ehon
Would you like to be notified by our system if your favorite artist(s) is/are offered in one of our weekly auctions?