**Originally Listed At $300**

East Asia, Japan, Edo period, ca. 18th century CE. A paper and ink ledger book known as a daifuku-cho, with a braided hemp tassel intended for merchant use. The ledger is constructed with a few hundred long, rectangular pages that are bound at the top with cotton threads. The tassel acts as a suspension loop and is tied to the binding threads. When a ledger was completed, the tassel could then be looped on a rope with other ledgers that could be quickly gathered up if there was a fire or emergency. Each page has columns of writing in black ink and the bold characters on the front contained the words "daifuku cho" which translates to "good fortune;" a phrase that would hopefully create prosperous business transactions within the ledger. Size: 14.5" L x 5.25" W (36.8 cm x 13.3 cm)

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection

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#145274

Creasing and tearing of pages and old inactive insect holes. Fading and losses to paper covers and ink, but inner writing is well preserved. Tightly bound with intact tassel.