Keisai soga 蕙斎麁画
FSC-GR-780.334.1-5
Commentary by Hinohara Kenji
Posted March 10, 2107
Original unedited text in Japanese follows

Sketches of animals, plants, objects of everyday life, and other motifs are positioned two or four across each opening of this illustrated book. The quickly drawn lines of the designs are produced through color printing, and the preface explains that the work was made as a copybook for children or for those beginners in drawing. Although the title reads Keisai soga (Keisai’s rough sketches)—Kuwagata Keisai is another art name for Kitao Masayoshi—only the first volume has images actually drawn by the artist. The second volume comprises drawings by Baitei Kakei, the third and fifth volumes are by Keisai Eisen; Raian Genki supervised the fourth volume. Even though each volume exhibits slight differences in style and brushwork, all imitate the form of Masayoshi’s work in the first volume.

The only publication dates that can be determined with certainty are 1839 for the third volume and 1841 for the fifth. It is believed that the hiatus in production between the first and third volumes was not great, thereby leading to a dating of around the middle of the Tenpō era (1830–1844). Masayoshi died in 1824, and it is thought that the book’s publication was largely driven by the publisher Eirakuya Tōshirō (Tōhekidō東壁堂). Keisai sogais both intriguing and significant in determining the type ofdemand for Masayoshi’s work following his death.

In overall terms of execution the Pulverer copy approximates a first printing. It is rare to find collections with complete sets of Keisai soga (i.e., vols. 1–5), including those with the preface and colophon. However, it should be noted that fourth volume of the Pulverer copy is missing the page that would correspond to the latter half of the publication advertisement.

書名蕙斎麁画
執筆者日野原健司

動物や植物、身の回りの道具など、さまざまなモチーフが見開きの場面に２～４図収められた絵本である。モチーフの形状をすばやく捉えた描線を色摺りで再現しており、序文から、子どもや絵の初心者向けの手本として制作されたことがうかがえる。題名は『蕙斎麁画』となっているが、政美が描いたとするのは初編だけで、二編は梅亭華溪、三編と五編は溪斎英泉、四編は籟庵源輝が担当している。ただし画風や筆遣いは、少々の違いはあるものの、初編における政美に倣うものである。刊行年は三編の天保10年（1839）、五編の天保12年（1841）のみ明らかだが、おそらく初編も三編からそれほど時期の離れていない天保年間半ば頃に刊行されたのであろう。政美は文政７年（1824）に亡くなっており、本書の刊行にあたっては、版元である永楽屋東四郎の意図が働いていたと考えられる。政美が没した後、政美の作品にどのように需要があったのかを考える上で興味深い作品であろう。なお、プルヴェラー本は、おおむね初版に近いものと考えられる。初編から五編まで、しかも序文から奥付までほぼ揃っていることは貴重である（ただし四編のみ巻末の出版広告の後半が落丁している)。

Copies in other collections:
National Diet Library, Tokyo (First volume)
Keiō University Library, Mita Media Center (First and second volumes)
National Institute of Japanese Literature, Tokyo (First and second volumes)
Tokyo Metropolitan Library (First, second, and fourth volumes)