Illustrated Japanese manuscript book of hunting and shooting scenes by (Hunting) - 1611

[Japan], 1611. Comprising 42 finely painted panels on high quality paper, all bordered in gold, accordion folds, measuring 21,510 x 245 mm in length. Oblong 8vo. Original decorated gilt stiff wrappers, label on inside of front cover with a note in an early hand stating "Inatomi Family." Fine. In a wooden box. Comprising 42 finely painted panels on high quality paper, all bordered in gold, accordion folds, measuring 21,510 x 245 mm in length. Oblong 8vo. The Inatomi school of gun manufacturers and gunnery, founded in the late 16th century following the introduction of firearms in the middle of the century, was one of the important gunmakers in early Japan. This manuscript was prepared for hunters of the samurai class as an aid to marksmanship. The illustrations depict a variety of game, including deer, boar, and birds (water fowl, falcons, hawks, pheasants, and cranes), fish, and dogs, as well as samurai hunters and landscapes, etc., all beautifully illustrated by a highly accomplished artist trained in the Chinese style. The scenes are rendered in vivid color, with red dots on the animals' bodies marking targets. Two of the scenes depict insects, suggesting highly accurate marksmanship. Each image is annotated with specific technical information regarding distances and aiming. Two mountain landscapes with trees and clouds, with targets at the pinnacle and lower down, are perhaps to be interpreted metaphorically as well as literally. There are four scenes of hunters, in full samurai costume, wielding bows and arrows or spears;  one shows a hunter mounted on horseback. Also displayed are vividly designed targets for shooting practice. A translation into modern Japanese and into English is available.  A superb, finely executed manuscript on hunting and marksmanship from the earliest years of firearms in Japan. The manuscript's date corresponds to Keicho 16 or 1611 C.E. Dated hunting manuscripts from the early 17th century are of extreme rarity.