Konjyaku Monogatari

The Konjaku is a compilation of tales and stories that aim to present, in a Buddhist vision, the history of the world. It was formerly attributed to Minamoto no Takakuni (1004-1077), court counselor and great scholar. In its complete version, it was composed of tales about India, China and Japan, this compilation only including those representing Japan. The translation could be: Collection of stories belonging to the past. The stories feature exemplary behaviors that should serve as models or codes for conduct. They are written in Sino-Japanese language.
47 woodcut engravings, 2 to 3 per volume, by an unidentified artist.
Japanese-style sewn wrappers. Printed on mulberry paper. Title labels missing from covers. Most volumes loose and partially unstitched. Paper on covers with scattered flowers, and medallions with foliage and flowers, in red on white ground. The endpapers are mostly separated from the covers.