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, depicting a group of men and one woman making yanagigōri (wicker trunks). The trunks and baskets made in Tajima were especially beautiful and were "sent to the baths at Arima, and further still to Kobe, and also exported."1
Making willow baskets c. 1900
Tajima Province (但馬国 Tajima no kuni) was an old province of Japan in the area that is today northern Hyōgo Prefecture. It was sometimes called Tanshū (但州). Tajima bordered on Harima, Inaba, Tamba, and Tango provinces. Tajima is the birthplace of Kobe beef, known locally as Tajima beef. Also well-known are its many onsens, beaches, and small ski resorts. Its main industries are forestry, fishing, farming, and tourism.2
Multiple Editions (Variant Printings)
At least three variant printings (editions) were made of this series. Each variant printing uses a different colored cartouche containing the series' title, either red, green or rainbow-colored. Different colored borders were also used and variances in the use of colors and shading are present in the three editions.2 Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajima_Province
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #1491 |
| Title or Description | Making Willow Baskets in Tajima Province 但馬国柳行李製図 [Note: the leftmost part of the scroll which provides the activity and province name uses the following two obsolete kanji characters  . When transcribing the title the obsolete characters are often exchanged for the kanji 行李, making the title read "柳行李 [yanagigōri (wicker trunk)]. |
| Series | Dai Nippon Bussan Zue 大日本物産図会 (Products of Greater Japan) |
| Artist | Utagawa Hiroshige III (1842–1894) |
| Signature |  |
| Seal | none |
| Publication Date | 1877 (Meiji 10) |
| Publisher | Ōkura Magobei 大倉孫兵衛 (Kin'eido; 1843-1921) [Marks: pub. ref. 627] |
| Impression | good |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | fair - centerfold reinforced by tape on verso; paper loss upper left corner into image |
| Genre | nishiki-e; kaika-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | chuban |
| H x W Paper | 6 13/16 x 9 5/16 in. (17.3 x 23.7 cm) |
| H x W Image | 6 3/8 x 9 in. (16.2 x 22.9 cm) |
| Literature | |
| Collections This Print | Waseda University Library Archives 01_04265_0001 |
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