HONZO ZUFU

Limited edition of 999 numbered copies

The Illustrated Album of Materia Medica (Honzō zufu), completed in 1828 by Iwasaki Kan'en (1786–1842), is a major work in Japanese medicinal botany.

Following the Chinese tradition of studies on materia medica (the term honzō refers to Chinese knowledge of natural substances used in medicine), this valuable collection dedicated to flora lists around 2,000 species of wild plants, horticultural varieties and exotic species, and is distinguished by the exceptional quality of its illustrations, which are in colour and sometimes double-page spreads. They demonstrate a clear desire to facilitate the identification of plants with a precision that was unprecedented at the time and to make knowledge accessible to as many people as possible.

The Honzô zufu became a guide to all plants cultivated in Japan during the first half of the 19th century. Even today, it is recognised as an important source for the names and dates of ancient plants cultivated in Japan, and also provides an indication of when foreign plants were introduced.

This exceptional edition includes reproductions in their original format of 800 plates from one of the few authentic copies remaining in the world and one of the most beautiful, that of the Guimet Museum. A treasure of the library, it comes from the collection of naval doctor Ludovic Savatier (1830-1891), a flora enthusiast who was assigned to the French-built Yokosuka Arsenal from 1866 to 1871.

A richly illustrated commentary book discusses the history of the Honzō zufu and its context, then the different types of plants in the work and their uses. It also includes French translations of the prefaces and a selection of 80 entries, as well as an index of the 800 botanical entries (Sino-Japanese reading, kanji, common Japanese name, Latin name and French name).