Hanaya

Unknown

Manuscript book, 'Hanaya', painted in ink and colours on paper by an unknown artist, Japan, 1573-1744. The story of Hanaya was published in print in 1634. This volume, however, is a manuscript version of the work with hand-painted illustrations. It contains the first part of the story and was likely originally part of a set of two volumes. The date of this work is a matter of debate, with dates either side of the published edition of Hanaya cited. Some scholars date this volume to the Momoyama period (1573-c. 1603), others date it to the early or even mid-Edo period (c. 1603-1868). The attribution to Ogata Kenzan as artist inscribed on the cover is considered spurious.