A limited edition ofThe Izu Dancer, one of Kawabata Yasunari's defining early works. Published by Noda Shobo in 1938 (Showa 13), this is a rare volume and one of only 150 copies, bearing the author's signature and individual copy number.
Since its debut in 1926 (Taisho 15), this lyrical story of a fleeting encounter between a traveling student and a young dancer from a wandering troupe has been cherished as the origin of Kawabata's literary world. Produced just twelve years after the work's first publication, this limited edition stands as a precious record of pre-World War II Japanese book culture.
Noda Shobo was a pioneering publisher of limited edition books in the pre-World War II era, and this volume — carefully crafted in both binding and paper — possesses a beauty that transcends its value as a literary artifact. Following Kawabata's Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968 (Showa 43), appreciation for his work grew further, and signed limited editions from the pre-war era have since attracted exceptional interest from collectors both in Japan and abroad.
