MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF DENTISTRY IN UKIYOE. by NAKAHARA, Sen. et al

Tokyo 1980, Shiyaku Shupan. Silver cloth, slip case, very good, 156p., 106 full color page plates, English text, 21 x 28 cm., as new bright copy, dj. FIRST AND ONLY EDITION [LIMITED EDITION OF 500 ENGLISH LANGUAGE COPIES ONLY] A fascinating and obscure monograph, written and translated by Japanese dentists. The work is basically an illustrated history of Japanese dentistry and dental-related Ukiyo-e pictures [old wood-cut polychrome prints] showing anything about teeth, dentistry, use to tooth-picks [Tsumayoshi], primitive tooth brushes [Fusayoji] & Bosuna [tooth polish- ing powder], false teeth [wooden], Ohaguro or teeth black- ening, wooden dentures, hygiene &c. A lovely and obscure collection of old color woodcut prints on Japanese dental subjects. * Covers the Ukiyo-e artists, there genre, with an overview of the history of dentistry in Japan. Pictorial history of dental treatment and oral health customs of the people of the Edo [1604-1868] period. Contains 115 fine color examples selected from the collection of 250 prints in the collection at the Nippon Dental University. * HISTORY OF DENTISTRY IN JAPAN: With a good history of dentistry in Japan, this is both a medical study as well as being an art reference book about the subject of women, prostitutes who used various dental tools and the blackening of teeth called Ohaguro. Fusayoji or tuffed toothpicks, Tsumayoji or toothpicks, Yojiya and Hamigaki or willow shops and tooth powder, wooden dentures & tooth extraction of bad teeth, and use of wooden teeth or wooden dentures as replacements. * WRITTEN UNDER THE AUSPICIES OF THE NIPPON DENTAL UNIVERSITIY AND MUSEM: With an explanation of woodblock prints . This obscure and quite RARE work covers a wide variety of Japanese dental subjects, illustrating examples by use of contemporary color woodblock prints of the period. * FASCINATING WOODCUTS OF INTERNAL WORKINGS OF MALE & FEMALES: There are also a set of very rare prints illustrating both the male & female digestion process, as well as the function function of sexual organs [pp.143-145]. A large broadside set of color woodcut prints depict little men/women [men for the male print; women for the female print] laboring to move the food through the digestion process; fanning for breath- ing, presses for extraction of urine and other quaint inter- pretations of the process brought down to the level of und- erstanding for common un-educated peasants. These examples of how men and women's bodily functions differ, done in a graphic manner is quite rare. They were done by the artist UTAGAWA, Yoshitsuna [Ittosai], and are known as: BOJI YOJYO KAGAMI:A MODEL OF WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE & RULES OF SEXUAL LIFE An Anatomical Medical Chart Depicting the "Technology" of Food Digestion & Function of Sexual Organs [the female print]; and its companion: INSHOKU YOJYO KAGAMI: A MODEL OF MEN'S HEALTH CARE & RULES OF SEXUAL LIFE: An Anatomical Medical Chart Depicting the "Technology" of Food Digestion & function of Sexual Organs [for the male print]. They were done ca. 1848, and are illustrated on our website. Interest- ed persons may contact as of this writing we do have a set of these exact prints in our collection. * AUTHORS, TRANSLATORS: The chief author was Sen Nakahara; Yoshihisa Shindo and Kuninori Homma were both co-authors and translators. First issued in Japanese under title: UKIYO-E NI MIRU SHIKA FUZO- KO SHI, Tokyo 1978. Beautifully executed, well written. * RARIETY OF JAPANESE DENTAL BOOKS: Very little has been written in English on this subject and period of Japanese dentistry. A unique pictorial history of dentistry in Japan from feudal times. Published in a very small English language edition of [Five Hundred] copies, now a RARE book. An exceptionally valuable reference for collec- tors & curators of medical, dental & anatomical collections. * .