A SET OF SEVENTEEN BOOKS (19TH-20TH CENTURY)
Poems of Wu Mei Cun (Poems by Wu Weiye) / Yi Tang Shi Cun (Poems by Wang Yitang) / Collected Books of Tie Qin Tong Jian Lou
Poems of Wu Mei Cun (Poems by Wu Weiye)
25.5 x 16.5 cm. (10 x 6 ¹⁄₂ in.)
Six books, printed bingzi year of Jiaqing period (1816)

Yi Tang Shi Cun (Poems by Wang Yitang)
25.5 x 15.2 cm. (10 x 6 in.)
One book, printed 1940

Collected Books of Tie Qin Tong Jian Lou
Ten books, printed twenty-third year of Guangxu period (1897)
28.5 x 17.7 cm. (11 ¹⁄₄ x 7 in.)

NOTE: All books with collector’s seals of Tokutomi Sohō (1863-1957)

Mr Tokutomi Sohō (1863 - 1957) was a famous journalist, who was very active between the Meiji and Showa periods. At the age of 28, he founded "Kokumin (People's) Newspaper" and worked as a chief editor and managing director for many years. As a historian he was extremely famous known especially for his The Modern Japanese History volume 1-100.

Mr Tokutomi deeply appreciated Chinese culture, as he was acquainted with Tang dynasty Poem Selection, and he was highly respected by policy-makers, business leaders and Chinese poem specialist Shinpei Goto (1857-1929).

He was able to form a major collection of important Chinese paintings with a help from his great circle of friends, such as the Chinese seal maker Senro Kawai (1871-1945), historian Konan Naito (1866-1934) and graduates from University of Toa Doubunshoin.