Yoroigae

Kanbun/Empo era (late 17th century)
3 volumes

Richly hand-coloured books with 20 full-page illustrations including 5 double-page illusrations. Height 28.2 cm., width 22.4 cm.; dark blue cover decorated with gold paint depicting clouds and trees; flyleaf gilt with cloisonne pattern; vermillion title slip; papers elaborately ornamented with gold.
Yoroi gae, literally means "change of the armour", is a story of a widow and her daughter who were suffered by late husband's retainer but at last were saved by Kannon.

Honcho Koshi Den (Japanese Legends of Filial Children)

Genroku era (c.1688-1704)
5 volumes

Manuscript books with 35 full-page illustrations illuminated with gold foil and pigments; blue-green brocade with pattern of dragons and clouds; title strip with golden cloud pattern.
74 stories of famous filial sons and daughters from royalty to common people written by a Confucian scholar Ransai Fujii (1618-1709).

Settai (Senju gozen) [Nara ehon]

Mid-Edo period
1 volume

Oblong illustrated book with 7 full-page illustrations. Height 16.2 cm., width 23.5 cm.
Story of a woman called Senju, who was driven away from home by her mother-in-law, died on journey at an inn in Tsuruga (Fukui). In the end she revived and had a happy reunion with her husband and her father. The title “Settai” is derived from “settai yado”, the inns providing support to pilgrims.