Kogetsushō 湖月抄

Archive Unit
  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 59 16055.b.2
  • Dates of Creation
      1673
  • Language of Material
      Japanese
  • Physical Description
      4 volumes Condition: Generally good, with minor worm damage in places, chiefly in upper margins. The whole book has been cropped at upper margins, resulting in slight damage to some of the manuscript notes. Impression: For the most part sharp and clear, but elsewhere atozuri from moderately worn blocks. Seals of ownership: Two red seals, one oblong, Gajussai zōsho 蛾術齋藏書, and the other oval, Gajussai 蛾術齋, appear frequently throughout the work; the former on first page of maki 1, 2, 3 and 5, the latter at head of most other maki. Both are seals used by Ishikawa Masamochi 石川雅望. Manuscript notes: Extensive notes in red and black ink constitute the chief interest and importance of the present copy. All appear to be written by the same hand, probably over a considerable period of time as they are obviously the fruit of long and exhaustive research. Frequent erasures and alterations confirm this. The notes occupy almost all blank spaces throughout the work and extend also to inserted sheets and loose slips of paper. Notes in black consist of references to earlier commentaries and other sources, with opinions interjected by Ishikawa Masamochi 石川雅望; those in red comprise interlinear variants on the printed text and, in upper margins, further notes and commentary, some prefixed by the name Masamochi 雅望. Hayashi Nozomu 林望 in Kyūko 汲古 (see References below) argues cogently the theory that the notes as a whole were written by Ishikawa Masamochi, a former owner of the book. In any case, these notes form a valuable contribution to the history of scholarship on Genji monogatari and its commentaries, and on the literary research of Masamochi.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Genji monogatari kogetsushō 源氏物語湖月抄. Author/compiler: Kitamura Kigin 北村季吟, literary scholar and haikai poet, 1624-1705. Imprint: [Kyōto] , Hayashi Izumi, Murakami Kanbē, Yao Jinshirō, Murakami Kanzaemon, n.d. (batsu dated Enpō 1, 1673). Batsu in kanbun, written and signed by Kitamura Kigin on fol. 21 of maki 54, ends with the following line: 延寶元年冬至月 北村氏季吟. Kanki following this on the same page reads: 書林 ／ 林和泉 ／ 村上勘兵衛 ／ 八尾甚四郎 ／ 村上勘左衛門. Description: 54 kan, formerly in 17 satsu, now rebound in 4 vols. western style. 27.6 x 19.3 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 23.4 x 17.4 cm. (average). Single-line borders. No fishtail design on hanshin. Original text in hiragana-majiri, with dakuten, kutōten and printed interlinear notes. Commentary, also in hiragana-majiri, printed above original text on every page and, in places, on outer edge of page also. 12 lines to page (main text), 24 lines to page (commentary), variable no. of characters to line. Original dark blue front covers of former satsu 1, 5, 9 and 14 only, with original printed title slips, centrally placed, bearing gedai: Kogetsushō 湖月鈔. Over the lower part of these have been pasted red paper slips with handwritten chapter titles and satsu number. No naidai. Hashiragaki: abbreviated title of each chapter + folio no. In a modern western style half-leather binding. Edition: Batsu date of Enpō 1, 1673. It is probable that the compiler, Kitamura Kigin, wrote his batsu in 1673 and the work was published in the same year. Contents: Text of Murasaki's Genji monogatari 源氏物語, with detailed commentary by Kitamura Kigin, drawing on various earlier commentaries but adding much new material of his own. The present copy, like those in many other libraries, contains complete text and commentary in 54 kan, but lacks the 6 introductory maki which would complete the work. These comprise: 發端, 系圖, 表白, 雲隠 (1 kan each) and 年立 (in 2 kan). For a copy of the latter, originally a part of Kogetsushō, see no. 274.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Donated to the British Museum by (Sir) Ernest M. Satow, 13 June 1885.

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 a.Early monogatari 古物語

Bibliography

Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 2, p. 574; Tenri toshokan kisho mokuroku 天理図書館稀書目録, vol. 2, p. 173; Zushoryō tenseki kaidai, bungaku hen 図書寮典籍解題・文学篇, p. 175; Dai Ei toshokan no zenpon 1, 2 sonohoka 大英図書館の善本一・二そのほか, in Kyūko 汲古, no. 6.