Original woodcut printed illustrations (9 cut-outs).

Artist: Urakawa Kosa.

Date: 1842.

Publisher: Suharaya Mohei

Title: Eitai Ozassho Banreki Taisei. 永代大雑書万暦大成

These illustrations were part of a so-called “ozassho”: a household encyclopedia with a strong emphasis on articles regarding spirituality and astrology. Ozassho means “great book of miscellany. These editions offered readers knowledge of the nomenclautre used in the solar-lunar calendar and it also instructed them how to choose the “right”days and face in the “proper” geographical directions on certain serious occasions, such as commencing a house construction, holding a matrimonial ceremony, entering a school, wearing a new garment or taking a bath. In the early 19th century, some editions of ozassho enhanced their encyclopedic character. The trend is represented by the 1838 edition of Eitai Daizassho Banreki Taisei, a volume of nearly 700 pages, that was published in multiple editions. In it, old and new instructions were arranged compactly in chapters for easy reference. Chapter titles included “Houses and rooms, “Tailoring”, “Illness”, “Accupuncture and Moxibustion”, “Outings and Travelling”, “Agriculture, “Servants”, “Trading”, “Food”, “Geomancy”, “Health” and “Pregnancy”. These chapters were followed by articles covering physiognomy and palmistry. In addition, there were multi-page head rows instructing readers on a wide array of matters, such as how to counteract an inauspicious dream, how to practise home medicine, even how to give first aid to goldfish.

Vredeman de Vries