Naniwa-dora 難波鉦

Archive Unit
  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 59 16107.c.34
  • Dates of Creation
      1680
  • Language of Material
      Japanese
  • Physical Description
      2 volumes Condition: Generally good, but with a few soiled and damaged corners, and minor worm damage in margins, some repaired by urauchi backing. Impression: Sharp and clear, with only slight evidence of block wear. Illustrations: Two double-page sumizuri illustrations (mihiraki), one on ff. 10b-11a of maki 1, the other on ff. 3b-4a of maki 2. Both depict courtesans and their clients in an Ōsaka brothel. Illustrator unknown. Seals of ownership: No fewer than 13 assorted seals and kashihon'ya stamps of various shapes appear on the first pages and back endpapers of satsu 1 and 2. Among them is an oblong red seal of the Date family, Date bunko 伊達文庫, a square red seal, Jakuan bunko 雀菴文庫 (seal of Katō Jakuan 加藤雀庵) and a small oval red seal, Shinmi 新見.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Yūsuian Mutei Koji 酉水菴無底居士 (pseudonym), fl. late-17th century. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [c. Enpō 8, 1680] . (Two prefaces, each dated Enpō 8 延宝八年, 1680. Batsu at end of work signed by Nankaken of Kyōto, 洛下南華軒.). Description: 6 kan, formerly in 6 satsu, now rebound in 2 satsu, in a box. (Maki 1) ff. 1-2 (序), 3-4 (後序) (5-7 missing), 8-29; (maki 2) ff. 19; (3) ff. 18; (4) ff. 20; (5) ff. 21; (6) ff. 28. 22 x 15.5 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 18.9 x 13.9 cm. (average). Single-line borders. Single white fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed dakuten and some furigana. 11 lines to page, 22-24 characters to line. Original mid-blue covers, overlaid with renewed paper covers of pale green with floral pattern (front) and grey sprinkled with mica (back). Renewed title slips on satsu 1 and 2, with manuscript gedai: 難波鉦一二三 (四五六). Original printed title slips of maki 4 and 5 have been pasted on mikaeshi of new satsu 2. Gedai: Shikidō showake (tsunogaki) Naniwa-dora 色道諸分 (角書) 難波鉦. No naidai. Title from gedai. Hashiragaki: 鉦 + maki no. + folio no. Edition: The earliest edition of this work, undated except in prefaces. First preface, signed by Suigetsuan Meishoku Koji, ends: 延寶八申三月日 水月菴迷色居士. Second preface in kanbun, signed by Isshōken Furachi, ends: 延寶八季春日一生軒不埓. Contents: A kana-zōshi work, approaching the style of ukiyo-zōshi, in the form of a series of dialogues between prostitutes of the Shinmachi district in Ōsaka and their patrons.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from A. Probsthain, bookseller, 17 Feb. 1956.

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 f. Kana-zōshi 仮名草子

Bibliography

Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 4, p. 542; Tenri toshokan kisho mokuroku 天理図書館稀書目録, vol. 1, p. 120.