The Old Man Who Made Dead Trees Blossom

publisher Hasegawa Takejiro (Tokyo, 1853 - 1938)

illustratorIllustrated by Kobayashi Eitaku (Tokyo, 1843 - 1890, Tokyo)

translator David Thompson (Cadiz, Ohio, 1835 - 1915)

Date1885

Place MadeJapan, East Asia

MediumPrinted ink and color on paper

Dimensions18.2 x 12.5 cm (7 3/16 x 4 15/16 in.)

ClassificationsBooks

Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Accession number8.a.1.5

Status

Not on view

Web CommentaryThe Japanese Fairy Tales book series was first published in Tokyo by the Kobunsha press in the mid-1880s. Kobunsha’s founder, Takejiro Hasegawa (1853-1938), originally created these English translations of Japanese folk stories as schoolbooks for Japanese students. After realizing that they would also be popular with a Western audience, Hasegawa redesigned them as souvenirs for tourists. Isabella Stewart Gardner was fascinated by Japanese culture and toured the country with her husband in 1883. She created a Japanese garden for her Brookline residence, and acquired Japanese art for her museum. Gardner purchased seventeen Hasegawa books, taking care to acquire first editions published for Japanese readers when possible.

Id720427

Last Updated8/9/24

EmbARK ObjectID17681

Source ID5926