Condition. The two volumes are both in Very Good condition. This unit has 2 volumes from a 3 volume set. Light light soiling and wear to covers. End pages where they attach to the front and back covers are lose and have some chipping. I suspect folks were curious as to what was under them and lifted them up. They could easily be reglued. Otherwise, there are no tears or splits to the double fold pages with the text or color woodblocks. All woodblock plates are clean and bright and free of faults. The string ties on both volumes are faulty. The strings on the "earth" volume are loose and only one of the four spine wrap around strings is present. The strings on the "sky" volume are tight, however, this volume is missing one of the four strings that wrap around the spine.

 
Bairei Kono:
Bairei Hyakucho Gafu (Bairei's Album of One Hundred Birds), Tokyo, Kineido and Kyoto, Okura Magobei, Meiji 14 (1881), printed paper covers with title label, string tied with strings what wrap around the spin at four points, Japanese text, "Sky" and "Earth" volumes (2 volumes of a 3 volume set), 8vo (6 1/2 x 9 3/4 in - 16.6 x 24.8 cm), handmade paper in folded leaves, 68 woodblock prints of birds in their natural habitat. The woodblocks often include birds among flowers and plants. The woodblock plates include single page plates (49) as well as plates that span two adjoining pages (19). Each bird is identified in Japanese and each plate has the artist's seal/hanko. Each volume is composed of 23 double fold pages in addition to the two pages attached to the front and back covers (ie 48 pages per volume total).

The volumes are designated on the title label:

1. 
   "Ten" (Sky) Volume - 36 different birds depicted on 43 pages (21 1/2 folded pages) of color woodblocks (7 illustrations span two adjoining pages while 29 are single page). There are an additional 5 pages with Japanese text only (includes inside the covers). In total 48 pages or 23 folded pages and two single pages. The front Japanese text page, which is attached to the cover, is actually a double fold page but the back side of the page is attached to the paper cover. There is printing on the side attached to the cover.

2. 
   "Chi" (Ground/Earth) - 32 different birds depicted on 44 pages (22 folded pages) of color woodblocks (12 illustrations span two adjoining pages while 20 are single page). There are an additional 4 pages with Japanese text only (includes inside the covers). In total 48 pages or 23 folded pages and two single pages. The front Japanese text page, which is attached to the cover, is actually a double fold page but the back side of the page is attached to the paper cover. There is printing on the side attached to the cover.

3. 
   "Hito" (People) - Not Present.

"Ten" (Sky) Volume

"Ten" (Sky) Volume

Introduction.

Color Woodblock Plates

 
Close-up of Artist's Hanko/Seal

 
Colophon - Meiji 14 (1881)

Meiji 14 (1881).10.18

 
Seals on Colophon

"Chi" (Earth) Volume

"Chi" (Earth) Volume

Introduction & Color Woodblock Plates

 
Colophon - Meiji 14 (1881)

Meiji 14 (1881).10.18