Jōgan seiyō 貞觀政要 [貞観政要]

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 59 ORB 30/197
  • Dates of Creation
      1623
  • Language of Material
      Japanese
  • Physical Description
      1 volume Condition: Excellent. Minimal wormage and no water staining. Impression: Sharp and clear for the most part, but the type shows evidence of wear in places. Seals of ownership: Oblong red seal with double border, Aigakuroku zōsho 愛岳麓藏書 (seal of Ōkubo Yūzan 大久保酉山), on first page of each maki. Large square red seal, Ishindō zōsho 維新堂藏書, on first page of each alternate maki (i.e. each former satsu). Manuscript notes: Okurigana, kaeriten and some furigana in black, and kutōten and shubiki in red, added c. Kan'ei period or earlier. In maki 1-8 only.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Wu Jing 呉兢, 670-749. Notes and commentary by Ge Zhi 戈直, who annotated the standard text of this work in the Yuan period. Imprint: [Kyōto] , Chūda Kichibē 忠田吉兵衞, Genna 9 元和九年, 1623. Kanki at end of text reads: 元和九癸亥初冬吉辰三條白壁町 / 忠田吉兵衞開板. Description: 10 kan, formerly in 5 satsu, now rebound in 1 vol. western style. Foliation identical with the Fushimi-ban 伏見版, no. 58 above, except that it lacks the final folio containing kango by Jōtai (or Shōtai) 承兌. 27.8 x 19.6 cm. Fukurotoji. Movable type. Printing frame 22.8 x 16.2 cm. (average). Double-line borders all round. Vertical rules between columns. 'Flower petal' fishtail design on hanshin. Kanbun text without printed kunten. 7 lines to page (double for commentary), 17 characters to line. Pale grey-green front cover of satsu 1 only, old but not original, embossed with a hexagonal design. Upper part of renewed title slip, with manuscript gedai in a mid-Edo period hand: 貞觀政要. Naidai and gedai identical. Hashiragaki: Jōgan 貞觀 + maki no. + folio no. In a western style half-leather binding. Edition: A later edition of the Fushimi-ban Jōgan seiyō 伏見版貞觀政要, printed with re-set movable type from the same font and issued by a commercial publisher, Chūda Kichibē. An early example of a bōkoku-bon 坊刻本, printed with movable type for general sale and not for official distribution. Contents: Text of Zhenguan zhengyao 貞觀政要 with commmentary by Ge Zhi. A work on the principles of government and administration, based partly on reported discussions between the first Tang emperor and his ministers. Highly valued for centuries in China and Japan as a practical manual for officials.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Ernest M. Satow, 22 Sept. 1884.

Other Finding Aids

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993).A. Chinese works 漢籍 6. Law, government, administration and economics 法制・政治・行政・経済

Bibliography

Kokatsujiban no kenkyū 古活字版の研究, pp. 214, 362, 382, 825-6, pl. 201; Daitōkyū kinen bunko kichōsho kaidai 大東急記念文庫貴重書解題, vol. 1, p. 70; Jingū bunko kanseki zenpon kaidai 神宮文庫漢籍善本解題, p. 40, pl. 104-5; Tenri toshokan kisho mokuroku 天理図書館稀書目録, vol. 2, p. 57.