Very good antique condition for a book printed in 1806. There is very little staining or insect damage, with only minor age-related wear to the paper. No noticeable water damage is present. The woodblock illustrations and text remain exceptionally sharp and clearly defined, while the black ink remains strong and has not noticeably faded.
Published in 1806 (Bunka 3), this original Edo-period woodblock-printed book is Teiho Kenzeiki Zue (訂補建撕記圖會), with the full title Eiso Gyōjitsu Teiho Kenzeiki Zue (永祖行實 訂補建撕記圖會). The work is an extensively illustrated biography of Dōgen (道元, 1200–1253), founder of the Japanese Sōtō Zen tradition.
The text derives from the medieval biography of Dōgen traditionally attributed to Kenzei (建撕) and incorporates later revisions and historical scholarship by the influential Sōtō monk Menzan Zuihō (面山瑞方, 1683–1769).
Numerous detailed woodblock illustrations, attributed to Daiken (大賢) and others, transform Dōgen's biography into a visual narrative. They depict temples, Buddhist ceremonies, sermons, journeys, meetings with disciples, and important episodes from his religious life and the early development of Sōtō Zen.
One illustrated episode carries the inscription 「筑前博多ノ圓覺寺ヨリ蘭溪禪師ノ書東リ送リ来ル」, describing the arrival of a letter associated with Lanxi Daolong (蘭溪道隆 / Rankei Dōryū) from Engakuji in Hakata, Chikuzen.
This Bunka 3 (1806) edition was published in Kyoto and is associated with the Yanagishiken (柳枝軒) publishing house. Both the text and illustrations were produced through traditional Japanese woodblock printing in black ink on handmade Japanese paper.
More than two centuries after it was printed, the surviving sharpness of the illustrations and text makes this an impressive example of Edo-period Buddhist publishing, combining Zen biography, historical scholarship, and detailed pictorial storytelling.
