Hōgen monogatari 保元物語

Archive Unit
  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 59 Or.75.g.2
  • Dates of Creation
      1626
  • Language of Material
      Japanese
  • Physical Description
      1 volume Condition: Fair, though pages slightly soiled by use. No worm damage, but badly water-stained in places, especially in maki 1. Some folios split along fore-edge. Impression: Generally clear, with only slight signs of block wear in places. Illustrations: Hand-coloured single-page sumizuri illustrations on ff. 6a, 8a, 12b, 15b, 20a, 23b, 26a, 27b, 32b, 35a and 38b of maki 1; on ff. 8a, 18b, 20b, 23b, 26a, 28b, 32a, 34b, 37a, 43a, 44b, 50a and 51b of maki 2; and on ff. 8a, 12a, 14b, 21a, 24b, 28b, 30a, 34b, 37a, 42b and 44a of maki 3. The hand-colouring may have been done in the Meiji period and not in the 17th century. If so, this cannot be regarded as a genuine tanroku-bon but as a 19th century imitation. Seals of ownership: Oblong red seal of Sir Ernest Satow, 英國薩道藏書, and square red seal, Shinno tosho 進野圖書, on first page of each maki. Manuscript notes: Signatures of William Anderson (former owner) on first and last pages of maki 2.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Unknown. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [Kan'ei 3, 1626] . No colophon, but external evidence strongly supports Kan'ei 3 寛永三年 as the date of publication. Description: 3 kan, formerly in 3 satsu, now rebound in 1 vol. western style. (1) ff. 38; (2) ff. 52; (3) ff. 44. Each maki begins with a 1-folio mokuroku. 27.2 x 19.3 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 22.5 x 17.5 cm. (average). No borders. No fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed furigana. 12 lines to page, 24-26 characters to line. Original dark blue front cover of satsu 1, embossed with a lozenge design. No title slip and no gedai. Title from naidai of maki 2 and 3. Title at head of maki 1: Hōgen kassenki jō 保元合戰記 上. Hashiragaki: Hōgen maki 1 (etc.) 保元巻一 (等) + folio no. In a western style half-leather binding. Edition: The second blockprinted edition, following that of Kan'ei 1, 1624 (see Or.59.d.12). The corresponding edition of Heiji monogatari 平治物語 (16052.f.20), sister to the present work and published concurrently with it, bears the following kanki: 于時寛永三丙刁年長月吉辰. The present edition may therefore be safely assigned also to Kan'ei 3, 1626. Contents: A semi-historical war tale (gunki monogatari) describing the power struggle for the imperial succession in the Hōgen no ran 保元の乱 of 1156. It focuses on the figure of Minamoto no Tametomo as a tragic hero, and on the bitter internecine strife between members of the same families: Fujiwara, Taira and Minamoto.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from William Anderson, 13 Feb. 1894.

Other Finding Aids

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993). C. Japanese works 和書 5. Literature - fiction 国文-小説 d. Gunki monogatari 軍記物語