This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/12/2023
YASUNASUKE, Yamabe. Ainu Monogatari [in English: The Ainu Story]. Tokyo: Hakubunkan, November 1913. 8vo (226 x 114 mm).
5 full-page photographic plates. Original black boards stamped in red and white, lower cover with a central medallion in blind (rebacked preserving original spine, light wear at corners). Provenance: Japanese bookseller’s ticket, several Japanese rubberstamps at front.
FIRST EDITION of this narrative written by Yamabe Yasunasuke shortly after completion of the Japanese Antarctic Expedition. Yamabe joined the Japanese Antarctic Expedition at age 44 and served as dog sled driver during both phases of the expedition. Yasunasuke was Ainu and a cultural anthropologist with a focus on Eskimo and Japanese ethnic cultures. This book deals with his anthropological interests and includes a 38-page section covering his experiences with the Japanese Antarctic Expedition. Along with Yamabe, Shinkichi Hanamori was the second Ainu dog handler with the Japanese Antarctic Expedition. Ross 1.6.1 (“Very Rare”).