Manuscript on paper, upper cover entitled "Gunsen seisaku ben zen" (trans.: "Complete Instructions for Building Military Ships"). Nine full-page brush & ink illus. 20 folding leaves. 8vo (238 x 160 mm.), orig. wrappers, sewn as issued. Japan: at end is written "1712." by (NAVAL ARCHITECTURE)

Nine full-page brush & ink illus. 20 folding leaves. 8vo (238 x 160 mm.), orig. wrappers, sewn as issued. Japan: at end is written "1712." A fine manuscript describing the design and construction of atakebune, large Japanese warships which were built in the 16th and early 17th centuries. At the end of the manuscript, we find the name "Yuken Masafusa Hojo." The Hojo clan, which enjoyed its greatest power in the 12th- and 13th-centuries, remained a force in Japan for many centuries. They built numerous fortified castles and military ships and in 1645 Ujinaga Hojo (1609 or 1610-70), wrote Heiho Yukan [in trans.: The Paragon of Military Strategy], one of the most important books on the subject published in Japan. The Japanese warships described in our manuscript consist of a rectangular wooden box above the hull. The sides were covered with copper or iron panels and ornately decorated in gold and silver. The bow of the ship also had iron protection for ramming. Small holes or windows were built along the side of the ship for guns and bows. There is a recipe using lacquer, oil, and pine tree resin for waterproofing the ship. Numbers of required samurai and seamen are also provided. The illustrations depict cross-sections and side views along with an image of the mast with sails. There are also images of handheld weapons (spear, hooks, etc.) and ladders to attack warriors on opposing ships. The final eight pages contain a description of a sea battle - we are unable to determine which one - with details of numbers of different kinds of warships (including the smaller seki bune and kobaya bune), crew (and their various duties) and samurai, etc. The final leaf contains an afterword which is a summary of the contents of the manuscript. In fine condition preserved in a chitsu.