『Hankyu Sanbangai, Hankyu Antiquarian Book Town』 in Osaka, where you can find rare art books such as Ukiyo-e by Tsukioka and photography by Araki

　Antiquarian books on manga, literature, Western books and art works are popular for their nostalgia and careful craftsmanship. One of the best places to find a wide range of out-of-print books and historically valuable treasures is Hankyu Sanbangai 「Hankyu Antiquarian Book Town」. The main attraction of this place, which is adjacent to Hankyu Osaka Umeda Station, is that besides encountering new treasures of antiquarian books, you can also enjoy a variety of shopping and dining options.

Let's take a quick look around the shops.
■「Nakao Shosendo Bookshop」, one of the oldest shops in Osaka, mainly deals in pre-Edo period items such as ukiyo-e prints, old maps, picture scrolls and handwritten works
　The shop also has a wide range of Antiquarian books on old maps, calligraphy, arts and fine arts, as well as prints and paintings.

・Recommended antiquarian book①・・・Rare work depicting Osaka in the Edo period, 「Naniwa Hyakkei (One hundred views of Naniwa)」

　There are few works depicting scenes of Osaka in the Edo period, making this a rare gem. This is a joint work by three painters and vividly depicts scenes of the city of Osaka and ordinary people. There are 100 scenes in total, and the price of two complete folding books, including 「Shingonzaka」 (right) and 「Tenjin Festival Evening Scene」 (left), is 3.5 million yen, but they are well worth it.

・Recommended antiquarian book②・・・Ukiyo-e 「Tsuki Hyakushi (One Hundred Aspects of the Moon)」, featuring scenes related to the moon in Japanese and Chinese stories and poetry

　This series of 100 paintings is a major work from the last years of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, considered the last ukiyo-e artist of the Meiji era. Among them is the masterpiece 「Mount Ji Ming moon (Keimeizan no tsuki)」, which depicts the moon with the former Han Chinese military strategist Zibo (Zhang Liang) playing his flute in the early morning when the chickens are crowing. 110,000 yen per piece (unframed).

■「Riichi art」 has a wide range of arts and crafts in general, including Japanese and Western paintings, folk art, crafts and tea ceremonies
　Recently, it has been focusing on works of photography, design and architecture, as well as arts and crafts.　
・Recommended antiquarian book①・・・　「Sentimental Journey」 by Nobuyoshi Araki, a leading Japanese photographer

　This collection of photographs, considered a masterpiece by Nobuyoshi Araki, is based on his honeymoon with his wife. Although self-published, the binding is very fine and the book is limited to 1,000 copies, making it a valuable work of art. The title on the front cover and the name on the back are in his own handwriting and the price is 440,000 yen.
　
・Recommended antiquarian book②・・・　「TOKYO」　by New York photographer WILLIAM KLEIN

　Published in 1964, this photo book captures the bustling city of Tokyo three years before the Tokyo Olympics. It features a very beautiful black-colored gravure print and is one of a four-part book series including the cities of New York, Rome and Moscow, priced at 70,000 yen.
　

■「Fujisawa Bookshop」, which focuses on Japanese books published in the Edo period, mainly Buddhist and archaeological books.
　Japanese books are very carefully produced on Japanese paper and are available in a wide range of prices, from low-priced to expensive, in order to attract a wider audience. Some of the antiquarian books are rare and difficult to find, and this antiquarian book shop also buys books in these genres.
・Recommended antiquarian book①・・・ 「Arhat Picture Praise Collection」 by Buddhist monk Ugai Tetsujou, highly coveted by those with an interest in Buddhism.

▲Image source: Fujisawa Bookshop

　Published in 1863, this book is a compilation of the author's own research on arhats and features depictions of arhats. The book was printed on woodblocks and is a rare and valuable Japanese book printed in color. The trilogy Heaven, Earth and Man is priced at 385,000 yen.

・Recommended antiquarian book②・・・ 「Three major sutras of Pure Land Buddhism, Woodblock-printed four complete folding books」, used by monks for study

▲Image source: Fujisawa Bookshop

　This four-volume set of sutras was used by monks to study sutras during the Edo period. The sutras are made of solid Japanese paper and printed on woodblocks. The price is 16,500 yen.

▲Image source: Hankyu Hanshin Building Management Co., Ltd.

■Facility Location
　　1F, Hankyu Sanbangai South Building, 1-1-3 Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
　　※Prices of antiquarian books in the article are at the time of the interview. For detailed information on each shop, please refer to their websites.