The Chest Containing Various Teachings (Kyokun zonagamochi)

Date:: 1784
Medium:: Woodblock-printed book; 5 vols.
Format:: Oban
Source:

Typical Price

Later reprint or reproduction (20th-century): $50–$300
Good later impression (Edo-period): $1,000–$5,000
Good early impression (vivid color, legible detail): $5,000–$20,000
Fine early impression (exceptional color and condition): $20,000–$60,000

Hokusai's genre scenes, bijin-ga (beautiful women), and miscellaneous subjects represent the breadth of his career across more than seven decades. The market for non-landscape Hokusai prints has strengthened as collectors seek beyond the most famous designs.

Description

The Kyokun zonagamochi (Chest Containing Various Teachings) is a five-volume woodblock-printed book from 1784 offering moral and practical instruction in the manner of popular didactic literature from the late eighteenth century. Among Hokusai's earliest book projects, it reflects the robust Edo publishing industry and his early engagement with illustrated literary forms that would anchor his career for decades.