Step back into the vibrant, rapidly changing world of late nineteenth century Japan with this two-volume encyclopedia set. Together, these books offer a detailed look at the pop culture, street entertainment, and daily crazes that captured the public imagination as Japan moved from the Bakumatsu period into the Meiji era.
The first volume, Bakumatsu Meiji Misemono Jiten, edited by Yoshihiro Kurata and published by Yoshikawa Kobunkan, covers 101 entries on the misemono, the sideshow entertainments that fed the public's curiosity. Magic lantern shows, kakubei lion dancers, daikagura acrobatics, animal exhibits, world's fair attractions, and the famous illusionist Shokyokusai Tenichi all appear, alongside the shift from handmade attractions like living dolls to imported Western machines such as carousels. Plentiful illustrations bring each topic to life.
The second volume, Meiji Mono no Ryuukou Jiten by Goichi Yumoto, published by Kashiwa Shobo as part of the History in Pictures Series, draws on satirical prints, woodblock illustrations, and early manga to explain the trends and social life of the era in plain, approachable language, clear enough for a middle schooler to follow. Among its curiosities: in an age when phonographs were a luxury, ordinary people could gather at phonograph shops and listen to music through rubber tubing.
This set is sold strictly as a pair and cannot be purchased as individual volumes. Both books are in clean condition with no noticeable scratches or stains, making them an excellent pickup for fans of Japanese history, folklore, and visual culture.
Two-book reference set on late Edo and Meiji-period popular culture.
Bakumatsu Meiji Misemono Jiten, edited by Yoshihiro Kurata and published by Yoshikawa Kobunkan, is an illustrated dictionary covering 101 spectacles, performers, and related topics, including utsushi-e picture shows, Kakubei-jishi, Daikagura, animals, exhibitions, and magician Tenichi Shokyokusai.
Meiji Mono no Ryuko Jiten by Koichi Yumoto, from Kashiwa Shobo’s History Seen Through Pictures series, is a visual dictionary of Meiji-era trends and society, using illustrations, manga, and ukiyo-e prints featuring commentary and satire.
