Written and illustrated by Carol Cunningham

Mill Valley, CA; Sunflower Press, 1988. Wraps. As new from the printer. First edition. Unpaginated (36 pp: viii, 28); 2 ⁷/₈ (height) x 3 (depth) inches. A handmade miniature book printed letterpress from hand-set Optima type. Featuring 11 illustrations made using taped blocks. Hand-bound in brown Japanese paper side-stitched in the Japanese fashion, with brown Japanese paper endpapers. Tape-block print of a haniwa house on ffep of standard binding and on cover of deluxe binding.

Limited to 55 copies numbered and signed by Carol Cunningham. 15 of these are deluxe bindings in wrap-around folding case made by Joseph D’Ambrosio, with black paper covers over board, letterpress title pasted on front cover, and secured with a pottery fish on a leather cord. The remaining 40 are bound in brown Japanese paper and side-stitched in the Japanese fashion, with letterpress title pasted on front cover.

Inspiration for this book came from a handsome volume by Fumio Miki. Haniwa were the clay figures made by early Japanese to surround the graves of people of importance. Eleven of these are illustrated in this miniature book, using a method that Carol devised, which involves putting layers of tape on top of a linoleum block. When printed the different layers result in the varying shadings of the black ink. This is the same method Carol used for printing her large format Haniwa book (now sold out). The book also includes some information about the period of Japanese history when these figures were used (300 AD). A beautifully crafted book: Carol’s use of outstanding textured papers, the authentic binding, and novel illustration technique serve to transport the reader back in time for a fascinating introduction to the ancient art and traditions of haniwa.

Standard binding: $140
Deluxe binding: Sold out