[FUJIWARA MASAAKI]. 藤原正明.

大坪本流旋之書. [Ōtsubo Honryū sen no sho].
[Ōtsubo Honryū School of Reading Horse Hair Whorls].

[Japan]. Late Edo Period? [Circa 1850?]. Stock ID #223702

Hand-copied manuscript, hand-drawn black and white and red ink illustrations, 23.8 x 17.4cm, 15 double-folded leaves, 4-hole string binding. Worming at lower edge of most leaves affecting occasional final characters still legible and now stablised with washi. Paper covers a little worn, soiled and insect damaged in a few places. String ties holding firm, contents clean.

This intriguing mid-Edo period work explores the reading of a horse’s fortune through the pattern and placement of its hair whorls. It was written by Fujiwara Masaaki, a member of the Ōtsubo Honryū (the “True School of Ōtsubo”). This school was established by Saitō Chikara Sadayasu (1657–1744) as a distinct branch of equestrian practice, separating from the earlier Ōtsubo-ryū. It became highly influential among the samurai class, at one point attracting more than 3,000 disciples and reflecting the close relationship between martial culture and horsemanship in early modern Japan.

The book opens with a detailed illustration of a horse identifying the positions and names of over twenty auspicious whorls across the body, followed by a corresponding image marking those considered inauspicious. The accompanying text explains the perceived significance of each in careful detail, linking physical traits to predictions of temperament, health, and fortune. Such physiognomic interpretation, while unscientific by modern standards, was widely accepted at the time. Given the considerable value of horses within samurai society—for warfare, transport, and status—these systems formed part of a broader practical and cultural framework for selecting and evaluating animals.

When referring to this item please quote stockid 223702.

Price: $200.00 AU

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