Bidspirit auction | Manuscript Book: Kinzan-Emaki - In

Manuscript Book: Kinzan-Emaki - In the Gold Mines of Sado - Manuscript Book: Kinzan-Emaki - In the Gold Mines of Sado Japan, 18th century or later. Japanese paper (Washi). Sado Kinzan, mining and coinage on Sado Island. Hand-colored manuscript, 59 leaves. 26.7 x 19 cm. Condition: Title page missing, missing parts present, browned, worm-eaten, damaged. Content: Or 920 Kinginzan shikinaioka kasegikata no zu (Illustrations of working methods inside the gold and silver mines) Or 919 is Dotokoya no zu (Illustrations of the copper smelting hut) Tokugawa shogunate (1603 - 1868) Or 918 is Kobandokoro nite sujigane tamabuki no zu (Illustrations showing the melting of gold spheres in the mint) etc. The illustrated scroll Kinginzan Shikinaioka Kasegikata no Zu, depicting gold and silver mining on Sado Island, was created in the 18th century during the Edo period under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Although the exact date of commissioning is not known, it was presumably produced under the direction of officials such as the Sado bugyo (Commissioner for Sado), who supervised mining activities on behalf of the Tokugawa government. These books also served administrative and educational purposes by documenting mining techniques, working conditions, and infrastructure. They may have been commissioned to report on mining practices, to teach them, or to present the productivity of the mines to the central authorities. One of the few examples of a Sado kinzan emaki where the artist can be identified is the work of Ishii Natsumi (1782-1848). The content and artistic style strongly resemble the copy in the library, and although there is no proof that this artwork also originates from Ishii Natsumi, it seems quite plausible.