Shiba hitsuyo [Essential Guide on How to Take Care of a Horse] by KURIHARA, Nobumitsu

Three double-page & four full-page woodcut illus. 25 folding leaves. 12mo, orig. yellow wrappers (upper wrapper a little soiled), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover, new stitching. Kyoto: Chojiya Kurouemon & Murakami Kanbei, 1869. Second edition (1st ed.: 1854), of this detailed guide to the medical care of horses. Kurihara (1794-1870), was a historical scholar, specializing in armor, swords, and military uniforms. Closely connected to the prominent Takeda clan, he also wrote a number of works on veterinary medicine and the traditional methods of training horses. The present work has a new Preface, dated 1868. Kurihara discusses the general principles of horse nutrition, providing a number of recipes for feeding horses (with details on the ingredients' costs), recommendations on stable maintenance, breeds of horses, excessive sweating in horses, hoof hygiene (with a rather interesting long passage on the merits of Western metal horseshoes), tongue diagnosis, respiratory illnesses, etc. Recipes for medications are also given. Three of the handsome double-page woodcuts depict the pressure points on the horse. The fourth shows training routines. One of the single-page woodcuts shows horse dentition. Fine copy. Both editions are very rare; neither are found in WorldCat.