Tokyo, unpublished, 1889. 80 loose leaves. Folio (ca. 37.0 x 27.0 cm). On Japanese paper, (all but one) mounted on original, larger sheets of Japanese paper measuring ca. 44.0 x 32.5 cm, one is framed (53 x 41 x 3 cm) in a modern, oriental-style lacquered wooden frame with bevelled edges. Four leaves contain text only, 76 contain illustrations of complete birds (the vast majority), or parts (e.g., wings). A few have additional, smaller sheets with text attached.

A fine suite of bird paintings by the Japanese artist Ôkubo Ichigaku (1845 - 1891), whose real name was Yoshimoto, but he published under the pseudonym Ichigaku. Ôkubo Ichigaku (studied under Shibata Zeshin and distinguished himself with his figure paintings. He exhibited three paintings, "Group of Sparrows," "Hibiscus," and "Cormorant," at the first Kanga-kai (a group of painters founded by Ernest Fenollosa and Okakura Kakuzô, advocating a syncretism between traditional and Western painting) competition held in September 1885 (Meiji 1885). This work consists of original ink drawings of birds, either whole specimens, or, e.g., wings, or tails. So-called hanshita-e are original drawings, on Japanese paper, for a woodblock printed book. The three different red seals are all Ichigaku's. The preface is by Kimura Masakoto, a historian and scholar. However, it is followed by another preface, by Ichigaku himself, in which he stated the following: "When drawing the appearance of beings, the most difficult thing is to convey their grace and vitality. Since the past, I have managed to draw several hundred species of birds. In addition, I have also copied drawings of the Ancients, I have noted next to the drawings, the names of the birds as well as indications concerning their morphology and the colours of their plumages. Overall, I have not omitted any detail. This is why I have titled this collection Album of all the birds drawn from nature by Ichigaku. I will have the plates printed little by little. They will thus be disseminated to the public and perhaps they will be a source of useful references to learned zoologists and my fellow artists. [written] In Tokyo, April 1889, Ichigaku Ôkubo Yoshitomo". In reality, contrary to what Ichigaku predicts in his preface, the present plates have never been published, because there would some sort of trace of them. But above all, these beautiful plates would have disappeared, as the engraver sticks them upside down on the wooden matrix and they are destroyed in the engraving process. A very fine series. The birds are naturally and accurately drawn, mostly after life. A similar but larger collection with exactly the same date and other details was auctioned by Sotheby's in 1999, viz., Album of Birds Drawn from Life, text in Japanese, 15 hand-coloured wood-engraved plates of Japanese birds by Ohkubo Yoshitomo, Lord Lilford's copy, half red morocco, folio, spine gilt lettered 'Japanese Birds', with Lilford's monogram and crest, folio (388 x 297mm.)". The present suite is much larger, with individual leaves of similar size, however, without additional colours, apparently as intended. Possibly not complete, but unique in any event. All leaves in very good condition. The images strong, the paper not discoloured.