#OA7a+b
1867
Vol.1. 3,29 p. Vol.2. 34,2 p. 25,3x17,5cm.
Woodblock printed book. Numerous monochrome woodblock illustrations. Minor wormtrack on the second page. Paper wrappers soiled and rubbed. Minor loss to the spine of the second volume cover. Japanese fukuro toji binding. Silk hanagire are worn but intact to the corners. Near fine condition.
First edition. This richly illustrated equestrian treatise, crafted for the contemporary samurai, was written by Hayashi Heizo, a disciple of the renowned military scholar Hayashi Shihei (1738–1793). Hayashi Shihei, a prominent figure in Japan’s military history, authored the influential and later banned book Kaikoku Heidan (A Military Defense of a Maritime Nation). First published in 1787, Kaikoku Heidan drew on the knowledge Hayashi acquired in Nagasaki and Matsumae ports, where he studied Western scientific works, particularly rangaku (Dutch studies), as well the records of the foreign naval visits that were banned from Japanese ports. Hayashi’s work aimed to bolster Japan's military preparedness by emphasizing the lessons to be learned from these foreign encounters. The book quickly gained popularity but was banned five years later for security reasons.
This set, an exceptionally rare pre-Meiji work by Hayashi Shihei's follower (and possibly his nephew) Hayashi Heizo, continues the legacy of his legendary uncle. Despite its title, the book is not a mere supplement but an independent volume in its own right. Like Kaikoku Heidan, it serves as a practical guide for military science, incorporating Western customs and techniques on the subject of cavalry. A rare edition with only three known copies in Japanese libraries and none outside Japan. Text in Japanese.
No copies located in Worldcat.
