WHALING.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Kandorizaki kujiratori-zu ("Illustrations of Whaling in Kajitori Bay"). An illustrated manuscript compendium, with diagrams of 12 different species of cetacean including the North Pacific right whale, the humpback whale, and the killer whale. There are also illustrations of 3 whaling boats, 13 types of spear, and a view of Kandori Bay. The diagrams detail the body parts of each species and the size they can reach. The region surrounding Kandori Bay was the centre of the whaling industry in early modern Japan, leading the development of organized hunting parties and developing new forms of harpoon. The bay itself was host to a lookout and smoke signalling station. Once captured, every part of the animal would be used for meat, oil, soaps, and fertilizer.Alongside the whale illustrations, this manuscript also includes diagrams of sunfish (a popular food for killer whales) and parasitic oysters. The images of the whaling boats include descriptions of how many people could fit and the flags that were in use. The author is unknown.Provenance: Manly P. Hall (1901-1990), the Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles, until 1995, although unmarked as such - Sam Fogg, London, Catalogue 19, Item 174, 1998 - Martin Schøyen (b. 1940), the Norwegian collector of rare books and manuscripts, with his pencil pressmark on the front lining and his bookplate in the folding case.

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