Meguro Gajoen, 1990, SC, VG.

Hosokawa, Toshiro, et al. Tokyo: Meguro Gajoen, 1990.

Japanese & English, Very Good, SC, 4to, 11 1/2" X 9", [3] 112 + 3 pp.

Pictorial gatefold softcover, green and white lettering to front and back panels, and spine, minor bump to head, some shelf wear, light wear and sunning to edges, otherwise, clean, tightly bound, and unmarked throughout. Duolingual text in Japanese and English. [3] 112 + 3 pp. Replete with stunning full-color photography of the interior and grounds of the historic 1931 wedding, hotel and restaurant building Meguro Gajoen in Shimomeguro, Japan. Includes essay "Heir to a Dream" by President of Meguro Gajoen and grandson of the original founder, Hosokawa Toshiro,. Essays by Toru Hatsuda and Mitsuo Moritomo, 10 sections: "Meguro gajoen," "Washi dori," "Hyakudan kaidan," "Shoji," "Roka," "Gunkan dori," "Ohana dori," "Chikurin dori," and "Satsuki dori," Artist Introduction, List of Plates and Sketch Map of Meguro Gajoen. From Hosokawa's essay: "The old Gajoen - or "Garden of Lyric Elegance," as it may be translated into English - has often been called a "department store" of ornamentation, or Showa Era version of the fairytale palace of the Sea God. No doubt the intent behind its creation, however, was to make a kind of self-justified, dreamworld come true; and by opening it to the public, to share that unfinished dream with many people...After half a century since its founding, the Gajoen is about to be reborn...There are new rooms that are exact reproductions of the old, and numerous architectural elements and works of art that have been refurbished and reutilized."