Shichijūnikō shō 七十二候鈔 [七十二候抄]

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 59 16114.f.18
  • Dates of Creation
      1664
  • Language of Material
      Japanese
  • Physical Description
      1 volume Condition: Good, but most folios have been re-backed by urauchi. Impression: Sharp and clear, from little-worn blocks. Illustrations: Shichijūni-kō contains a total of 72 single-page sumizuri illustrations depicting landscapes, birds and natural phenomena, 24 in each maki. Shichijūni-kō shō contains only two woodcuts; Saiji [kojitsu] none. Many of the illustrations are hand-coloured. Seals of ownership: None. Manuscript notes: Two signatures, 倉林茂兵衞義士 and 山崎□之助, on the last page.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Kusa Dōin 久佐道允, also known as Tekisai 迪齊, writer of commentary on the original work. Imprint: Edo, Kanbun 4, 1664. Oku on fol. 22b of final work, Saiji [kojitsu] 歳時 [故實] , reads: 寛文甲辰孟冬日 / 迪齊 道允 / 染毫於武江蝸室. Description: 5 kan (3 + 1 + 1), formerly in 5 satsu, now rebound in 1 vol. western style. (Shichijūnikō 七十二候, maki 上) ff. 24; (maki 中) ff. 24; (maki 下) ff. 24; (Shichijūnikō shō 七十二候鈔) ff. 28; (Saiji [kojitsu] 歳時 [故實] ) ff. 22. 26.5 x 19 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 21 x 16.4 cm. (average). Single-line borders. Fishtail design on hanshin. Kanbun text in first work; hiragana-majiri text with interspersed passages in kanbun, in second and third works. 11 lines to page in second and third works. Original covers missing, hence no gedai. Title of Shichijūnikō taken from naidai. Hashiragaki: (1) 七十二候上 (中, 下) + folio no; (2) 七十二候抄 + folio no; (3) 歳時 + folio no. In a modern western style buckram binding. Edition: Earliest edition of all 3 works. Followed by a second edition in Jōkyō 3 (1686). Contents: A Chinese work, derived from the Liji 禮記, on the ancient form of the calendar, whereby the year is divided into 72 periods each of 5 days, based on the occurrence of natural phenomena. This is the first work, 七十二候, in this composite volume. It is followed by a Japanese commentary, 七十二候鈔, by Kusa Dōin on the same work, and by a third work by the same author entitled Saiji [kojitsu] 歳時 [故實] , on seasonal festivals.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

No indication of date of acquisition or provenance.

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 18. Amateur arts 諸芸 c. Divination and astrology 占卜・占星・暦法

Bibliography

Dai kanwa jiten 大漢和辞典, vol. 1, p. 90.