18th C. Japanese Edo Paper & Ink Ledger Book

East Asia, Japan, Edo period, ca. 18th century CE. A paper ledger book known as a daifuku-cho, bound with dozens of rectangular pages and handwritten accounts for merchant use. The bold characters on the front contain the words "daifuku cho" which translates to "good fortune;" a phrase that would hopefully create prosperous business transactions within the ledger. Each page contains handwritten columns of text in black ink with some notations and stamps in red. The ledger is bound at the narrow end with a cotton thread and a hemp tassel with a loop is affixed to the binding. When completed the ledgers could be strung together into one large collection- ideal for quickly gathering up if there was a fire or other emergency. These account books were invaluable for merchants and their survival was key to the success of business. This ledger even has small tabs with labels on protruding from the edge for bookmarking important pages. Size: 15" L x 2" W (38.1 cm x 5.1 cm)

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA Collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#145271
Condition Report: Tearing, perforations, and creasing of pages and cover. Staining and discolorations. Fraying to hemp tassel. Tightly bound with no loose pages.