Photographic Album of the Famous Scenic Places of Nikkō (日光名勝写真帖)

Item Details

Utsunomiya:, Shimotsuke Art Printing Company,, 1936, Traditional Japanese string-bound decorated wrappers

First Edition, Very Good

OFFICIAL GUIDE TO JAPAN'S MOST CELEBRATED SHRINE LANDSCAPE, PUBLISHED FOR DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS DURING THE FINAL YEARS OF PREWAR TOURISM.

The Photographic Album of the Famous Scenic Places of Nikkō (日光名勝写真帖) is an official bilingual guidebook published by the Office of Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine in 1936, only two years after the establishment of Nikkō National Park. Designed for both Japanese and foreign visitors, it combines traditional Japanese bookmaking with carefully produced color photographic illustrations, introducing readers to the celebrated shrines, temples, landscapes, and pilgrimage routes that made Nikkō one of Japan's foremost cultural destinations.

Unlike ordinary souvenir albums, the volume was conceived as both a travel companion and commemorative keepsake. Thirty-three tissue-guarded color photographic plates are accompanied by bilingual English and Japanese captions, while two color maps orient visitors to the greater Nikkō district and the precincts of Tōshōgū Shrine. The English descriptions—including period titles such as 'The Cryptomeria Avenue' and 'The Shinkyo (The Sacred Bridge)'—reflect the language and style employed to welcome Western travelers during Japan's vigorous promotion of international tourism in the years immediately preceding the Second World War.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Oblong quarto, approximately 10.5 × 7.25 inches. Traditional Japanese string-bound decorated wrappers with printed title label. Thirty-three leaves containing tissue-guarded color photographic plates, numerous bilingual English and Japanese captions, two color maps, introductory and concluding Japanese text, publisher's colophon, and transportation information. Printed on fine coated stock.

PROVENANCE: The front endpaper bears the attractive pictorial bookplate of Dorothy Fowler, inscribed 'Nikko 1937.' Rather than detracting from the volume, the bookplate records ownership by a contemporary traveler who acquired the guide in Nikkō during the final years of prewar international tourism, adding a modest but appealing period association.

CONDITION: Very Good. Carefully handled with the original string binding sound and secure. The text and photographic plates remain clean, bright, and complete with their original tissue guards. Decorative wrappers show expected light rubbing and minor edge wear from handling. A faint damp mark appears along the fore-edge margin of several leaves without affecting the printed images. An attractive, well-preserved example.