Japanese Double-Sided Carved Wood Printing Block, Circa 1850

Japanese Double-Sided Carved Wood Printing Block  

Goseibai Shikimoku (御成敗式目), attributed to the late Edo period, circa 1850  

A substantial Japanese wood printing block, double-sided, with Japanese text and reading marks cut in relief and reverse in numerous ruled columns on both faces. The block measures approximately 14½ by 7 by ¾ inches, with raised transverse battens at either end.  

Accompanied by a later paper dealer band identifying the text as 御成敗式目 (Goseibai Shikimoku) and describing the object as an Edo-period woodblock. The circa-1850 date is an inherited attribution; the specific edition, publisher, and carver remain unidentified.  

The Goseibai Shikimoku, often translated as the “Formulary of Adjudications,” is the 51-article legal code promulgated by the Kamakura shogunate under Hōjō Yasutoki in 1232. The code remained influential and circulated in later printed and instructional editions during the Edo period. The 1232 date belongs to the original text, not to this later printing block.  

One face begins with the body of Article 8 and continues with Articles 9–11, addressing the twenty-year possession rule for land, rebellion, homicide and wounding, the limits of family liability, and whether a wife’s or daughter’s property could be confiscated for a husband’s serious crimes. The reverse contains Articles 12–14, concerning abusive language, assault, and a principal’s responsibility for crimes or misconduct committed by his deputy.  

In very good antique condition, with the carved text remaining sharply defined, typical light wear present.