Original 1853 Engravings JAPAN Tanegashima Harbor Beacon Fishing Ships Kagoshima

Description

Two genuine original 1853 antique woodblock engravings depicting scenes in Japan, which at the time had become a subject of interest in the western world following the visit by Commodore Matthew C. Perry earlier in the year.
The upper image is titled "Fishing in Japan" and the lower one is "View of Congoxuma, Japan."
The lower engraving shows a number of sailing vessels and includes a legend key to various features in the harbor of Congoxuma, also known as Cangoxima and today more familiarly known as Tanegashima, one of the Osumi Islands belonging to the Kagoshima Prefecture, visited in 1543 by the first Europeans to visit Japan — three Portuguese travelers aboard a Chinese ship.
Among the labeled features are a beacon upon a high hill, fishermen's houses, and a temple for dead bodies.
The engravings and accompanying text comprise a full page from the October 15, 1853 issue of
Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion
.
The full page measures 38 x 27.2 cm [15" x 10¾"].
Condition:
It is in
excellent condition,
bright and clean, with
no
marks, rips, or tears. Please see the scans and feel free to ask any questions.
It is an authentic
original
,
not
a reproduction or modern reprint.
It would look wonderful matted and framed, and we'll include our helpful framing tips for your reference.
Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion
was a weekly news magazine similar in format to
Harper's Weekly
and
The Illustrated London News
. It was published by F. Gleason, Tremont and Bromfield Streets, Boston, Massachusetts.
These engravings appeared in
Gleason's
shortly after Commodore Matthew C. Perry's first visit to Japan, which ultimately led to the re-establishment of regular trade and discourse between Japan and the western world after more than two centuries of severely limited communication.
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