[Connoisseur of contemporary customs]
Published: July 1773 (An'ei 2)
Artist: Kinkin Saeru (Kinkin Saeru, Hosei-do Kisanji, Hirasawa Tsunetomi)
Illustration: Koikawa Harumachi (Sake no Ueno Furachi, Kojitsuke Daiosho)
Postscript: Ishino Dodai
Publisher: Shodorakan Collection (colophon) is believed to be by Hasegawa Shinbei of Ikenohata Nakamachi
*The print in our collection is a Taisho-era woodblock reproduction.

Tosei Fuzokutsu (Tosei Fuzokutsu) is a guide to modern manners and customs published in 1773 during the mid-Edo period. It was written by Kinkin Saeryu, also known as Hoseidō Kisanji, and illustrated by Koikawa Harumachi, a master of yellow-covered book covers. While it is classified as a single volume and a sharebon (sharebon), its content goes beyond simple humor to become an illustrated encyclopedia that visually and descriptively conveys the latest fashions, customs, and connoisseur culture of the townspeople of the time. This work is essentially an Edo fashion magazine. Aimed at connoisseurs—stylish men with a keen sense of style and fashion—it introduces the "modern" manners, language, attire, hairstyles, and even the use of props with witty brushstrokes and exquisite illustrations. It truly served as an information medium for townspeople's culture, and readers used it as a reference to dress and behave in order to demonstrate their sophistication in social settings such as pleasure quarters and theater districts.
Of particular note is the "Illustration of Eight Hairstyles for the Times" at the end of the book. This illustration depicts eight variations of the Hondamage hairstyle popular in Edo for men, and is structured to visually show the differences in the way each hairstyle was styled and the impression it gave. These illustrations were positioned like a "men's hairstyle catalogue" in modern terms, and appear to have been used as reference material by connoisseurs to choose a topknot style that suited their character and destination, and to place their orders with hairdressers.

■ Eight hairstyles of the time: Comparison table of topknots

[Connoisseur’s manual]

This book not only covers hairstyles, but also introduces illustrations of all manner of connoisseurs’ personalities, from how to coordinate clothing, use of accessories, makeup, speaking, and walking. For example, connoisseurs were expected to wear kimonos “slightly casually,” and there were also unique ways of tying obi and carrying tobacco pouches.

Furthermore, the magazine also describes the “tips and tricks” of connoisseurs, down to the smallest details, such as the design of metal fittings on a kiseru pipe, how to use netsuke (seals) and inro (seal cases), and even how to hold a folding fan. This information is presented visually, not just in words, but through detailed illustrations, making it a truly practical guide to manners for readers, much like a modern-day fashion magazine. The characters all portrayed typical Edo townspeople, such as “connoisseurs,” “town girls,” and “courtesan,” and scenes from the theater district and Yoshiwara were also seen in the background. The behavior and interactions in the pleasure quarters, in particular, were full of wit, charm, and charm, and are thought to have been extremely useful in “directing” their own lives.

“Tosei Fuzokutsu” is an extremely valuable primary source that conveys to the present day the sophistication and sophistication that Edo townspeople’s culture had attained. Its contents are not simply an entertainment book, but an “Edo version of a style manual” that reflects the aesthetic sense and social skills of urban dwellers at the time, and it is an extremely important document from the perspectives of the history of manners, fashion, and publishing culture.