About This Print

One of 118 prints in the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue (Products of Greater Japan), issued in August 1877 to coincide with the opening of Japan’s first National Industrial Exposition (Naikoku Kangyō Hakurankai) held in Tokyo’s Ueno Park. Camellia tree oil (tsubaki) is extracted from the seed pods of the Camellia japonica and used as a hair conditioning treatment.

Izu Province (伊豆国 Izu-no kuni) was a province of Japan in the area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Zushū (豆州).  The mainland portion of Izu Province, comprising the Izu Peninsula is today the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture and the Izu Islands are now part of Tokyo.¹

¹ Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izu_Province

Camellia Oil - as described in an 1889 survey sponsored by the Prussian Government

Source: The Industries of Japan: Together with an Account of its Agriculture, Forestry, Arts and Commerce, Johannes Justus Rein, A. C. Armstrong & Son, 1889, p. 152.
Tsubaki-no-abura, Sasank’wa-no-abura, Cha-no-abura.  Under these names the thick oils from the nut-like seeds of the following plants are known in Japan, where they are used principally for the hair: Camellia japonica, L., Jap. Tsubaki, C. Sasanqua, Thunb., Jap. Sasank’wa, and C. theifera, Griffith, Jap. Cha.  These contain 30-35% of oil.

Only those tea-nuts which are not needed for planting are used for making tea-seed-oil.  But the two other kinds of camellia are grown specially for their oily seeds.  Thus, for instance, in the coast-country of Sendi and Nambu on the Pacific Ocean, between latitude 38 and 40, camellias are planted either singly or in rows along the edge of many a field or roadside.  They are regular trees, some of them having straight boles 4 to 6 m. high and 30 cm. in diameter.  Their shapely dark green crowns stand out sharp against the fading foliage of most of the other growths, especially in autumn. 

Source: "Is She Really a Geisha? Identifying Geisha in Art and Life", Andrew L. Maske, appearing in Treasures VII.3, Asian Art Museum, Summer 2004

Camellia oil was a necessity for the well-coiffed geisha in 1790s Edo.  In the shimada style "a simple but elegant coiffure... the side locks are stiffened with camellia nut oil (tsubaki abura) and pulled to the back.  The hair is raised above the crown and gathered behind in a large loop that is secured at two or three points."

Scroll Inscription

Source: National Museum of Japanese History http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/up-cgi/getdocrd.pl?tn=1536&ti=0&h=./history/w11288752628_28652&ch=2&p=param/nisikie/db_param&o=1501&k=50&l=&sf=0&so=

Notes: