A SET OF SIXTEEN BOOKS (17TH CENTURY)
Poems by Du Fu
24.8 x 16 cm. (9 ³⁄₄ x 6 ¹⁄₄ in.)
Printed renzi year of Kangxi period (1672)
With inscription and collector’s seals of Tokutomi Sohō (1863-1957)

Mr Tokutomi Sohō (1863 - 1957) was a famous journalist, who was very active between the Meiji and Showa periods. At the age of 28, he founded "Kokumin (People's) Newspaper" and worked as a chief editor and managing director for many years. As a historian he was extremely famous known especially for his The Modern Japanese History volume 1-100.

Mr Tokutomi deeply appreciated Chinese culture, as he was acquainted with Tang dynasty Poem Selection, and he was highly respected by policy-makers, business leaders and Chinese poem specialist Shinpei Goto (1857-1929).

He was able to form a major collection of important Chinese paintings with a help from his great circle of friends, such as the Chinese seal maker Senro Kawai (1871-1945), historian Konan Naito (1866-1934) and graduates from University of Toa Doubunshoin.