(Japan 1838-1912) Gafu (album) with twenty triptychs from: Chiyoda no O-Oku (The Life of the Female Members of Chiyoda Palace in Tokyo), nishiki-e (coloured woodblock print) signed (see signatures 1895 and 1896, Garry Gross), vertical oban, each 35.3 x 23.5 cm, publisher: Fukuda Hatsujirô (Gusokuya, recognisable by the double fish seal), block cutter Hori Yata, dated: Meiji 28, 1895 to 1896, a few sheets are not dated, 1) "Sarugaku kyôgen" (The Puppet Show of Kyôgen, no. 16 original series), 2) "Go sus haki" (Women sweeping garbage to hail the kami of the New Year, no. 15 of the series), 3) "O-tachinoki" (Firefighters helping to evacuate the palace, no. 8 of the series) 4) "Omeshikae" (Changing clothes, no. 23 of the series) dated 1895, 5) "Cha no yu" (Guests are welcomed to the tea ceremony, no. 5 of the series), 6) "Shikijitsu tsubone no taishutsu" (A court Lady repairs to her private rooms after a ceremony, no. 4 of the series), 7) "Cha no vu mawari hana" (Arranging flowers while the water for the tea ceremony is boiling, no. 14 of the series), 8) "Hotaru" (Fireflies), 9) "Tsukimi no en" (Moon worshippers, no. 2 of the series), 10) "Fukiage no yu Fuji" (A view of Fuji in the evening from the Fukiage Garden, no. 18 of the series). Second part of the gafu: 11) "Nyuyoku" (Bathing scene, no. 17 of the series), 12) "Kanda sarei joran" (The Kanda festival, no. 22 of the series), 13) "Hana Shôbu" (Japanese iris), 14) "Shaka moude" (Visiting the Buddha festival), 15) "Oniwa aruki" (A stroll in the palace garden, no. 10 of the series), 16) "O-niwa no yo-zakura" (Night in the palace garden under a blossoming cherry tree, no. 21 of the series), 17) "Yamazato no ocha" (Tea house in the country, no. 1 of the series), 18) "Go hanami" (Cherry blossom festival, no. 38 of the series), 19) "Setsubun" (Celebrating the end of winter, no. 6 of the series), 20) "Go no gakuva" (A court Lady hands a Noh mask to an actor before the performance of Chikuboshima, no. 34 of the series). This album contains twenty triptychs out of a total of forty. The outside of the album is covered in raw silk, with some foxing, the sheets themselves are very slightly wavy and speckled, the colours are very good, karazuri (blind pressing), shomensuri (lacquer black), (CT)