Featured Japanese Printing Board

Tucked back in a corner of a disorganized dealer's space, I found this. No price on it, they called her, $6.

It's black with ink. I think it's 4 pages from a book.





The Japanese teacher at my high school said it's an older script, but since it's a printing block, everything's backwards. I assume it's hand-carved, which is insane.





I do linoleum block prints, so I printed two pages of script. It's a little blotchy, but I'm hoping someone might be able to identify what type / category of book it is.







Measures 58 x 15cm; pages are 20 x 14.6cm.

Thanks for any help!

 

Maybe this guy can give you some information ...
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/bcoppola/woodblock-printing/

 

Thanks @Roaring20s--- that's great context!

 

https://s.amsu.ng/DOoDpenQYY2N

 

Super cool-- I love the syntax confusions.

I tried g-lens translate, but got all kind of weird variations, that I didn't trust any of them.

Thanks for doing this!

 

Great find Pot- 6 bucks ! If I ever worked at an Antique Collective, you'd have a tough time finding me-I'd be checking every nook n cranny (pretending to clean ?).
PS- G-Lens is a Surrealist poet.

 

It's also interesting to guess at the original that's being mistranslated:

"The boy went to the east, and went to the barrel, and the temporary residence was returned to the hawk's nest."

Huh? Possibilities there...

 

Looks like a story or legend.

 

Religious text, perhaps.

 

I love this, what a fantastic find (ukiyo-e), I suspect this is early, before 1870's. Very nice thing.

 

Thanks @808 raver

 

Nice find pal...!

 

Nice flag, good on you

 

Thanks pal! It's interesting for sure.

I'm thinking how it might display as a wall hanging, but it's so dark as to be invisible. I thought about rolling some light-colored ink onto the characters and letting it dry, but I hesitate to disturb the integrity of the board. The inks I use are water-soluble though, so they could wash off too I guess.

 

Of course it's yours to do with as you please and I know you only paid very little but I wouldn't do anything with it apart from maybe waxing it and finding some glass to cover the whole piece and make it into a stand. A very skilled carver took weeks to produce this, I wouldn't be surprised if this is quite valuable, I know I want it.

 

display it with the prints next to it !!!

 

https://orientalantiques.co.uk/prod...hiho-頼支峰-calligraphy-dated-1899-meiji-period/
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1853-original-antique-japanese-carved-1879401617

 

I have no doubt about that! Totally amazing.