China & Japan.- Liu Xiang. Ryukyo Retsujo Den [Biographies of Virtuous Women], 11 juan bound in 5 vol., Japanese edition, 124 full-page woodcut illustrations based on the 1606 Ming edition, original title slips, some worming to back of vol.4 but which does not intrude on to text or images, slight marginal worming to a few leaves of vol. 2 and, again no intrusion, occasional very slight marginal worming elsewhere, very light pencil annotations to second preface in vol.1, otherwise very clean, 4to, Kyoto, [probably early 18th century].*** This copy conforms in all aspects to the 1653-54 first Japanese edition published in Kyoto which was derived from a Chinese illustrated edition (Gu Lie Nu Zhuan) of the late Ming dating from 1606 during the Wanli reign. This 1606 edition is regarded as one of the finest “Huipai” works - emanating from the famous Huizhou school of printing active in the Ming dynasty in southern Anhui province. The Japanese first edition, in particular the woodblock illustrations, closely copied the Ming style of the 1606 Wanli edition and is therefore a direct link to a highly-regarded and extremely rare late Ming illustrated work. This copy was, however, printed later, probably early 18th century (but possibly earlier) and is done using the original blocks of the first Japanese edition, giving it the identical appearance. The publisher's colophon at the end of juan 8 is further interesting as, in this copy, the original part of the woodblock bearing the publisher's name from 1653-54 as per the British Museum copy has been excised and replaced with a neatly-inserted and exactly-fitting piece of wood with the publisher of this later edition. Reading top to bottom the address of the printer/publisher is Nijiyotori in Tamayacho (a small district of Kyoto) and their name is Uemura Jiroemon. This publisher is known to have been active in the 1650s so this work is presumably testament to the longevity of the publishing house although we can find no work by them later than 1671.This Japanese version of the work is very elusive - the only example of the 1653 first edition in the West is the BM copy as described by Hillier. Equally elusive and rare is the 1606 Wanli Chinese edition, a copy being located only in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.Provenance: Two red collector’s seals to the first page of each volume pertaining to the Yamaguchi Family Collection. Note in pencil to the last page of the final volume: “16/3/54 Vente liquidation de Bunkyudo.”Literature: Jack Hillier: Art of the Japanese Book, 1987, pp.69-73, Fig. 23–25.See also lot xxxxx