Panorama of Matsushima.

First and only edition. A 5-part fold-out panorama of hand-coloured albumen prints with letterpress description pasted on inner back board. Two plates stamped "Japan Society" (one stamp smudged). Oblong folio. Original cloth with silvered lock, overall a good copy. Tokyo, K. Ogawa, n.d. [but ca.

"The Archipelago of pine-clad islands bearing the name of Matsu-shima, has been famed for its beauty since Northern Japan was conquered from the Ainu aborigines in the 8th century, and is one of the San-kei or 'Three most Beautiful Scenes' of Japan... There are said to be 88 islands between Shiogama and Matsushima, and 808 in all, between Shiogama and Kinkwa-zan, of which but very few are inhabited, but 8 and its compounds are favourite round numbers with the Japanese, and moreover, the smallest rocks are included in the enumeration. Each of them, down to the least, has received a name, many of them fantastic, as 'Buddha's Entry into Nirvana,' 'Question and Answer Island' , 'the Twelve Imperial Consorts' and so on." (text on back board). This rare panorama was taken by the Scottish engineer and photographer William K. Burton (1856-1899) who lived in Japan for over ten years teaching sanitary engineering at Tokyo Imperial University. The panorama was printed and hand-coloured at the Ogawa studio and presumably it was privately printed in a very small number to be given to friends. Exceedingly rare. No copy in OCLC. 

Stock Code: 247038