Koi no utakagami 戀の歌鏡 [恋の歌鏡]

Archive Unit
  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 59 16099.e.28
  • Dates of Creation
      1683
  • Language of Material
      Japanese
  • Physical Description
      1 volume Condition: Fair to good. Minimal worm damage (repaired), soiled corners and some water-staining. Impression: An early impression, sharp and clear. Illustrations: Sumizuri woodcuts depicting landscapes, plants, trees and some figure subjects occupy the upper or lower two-thirds of every page. Artist: Hishikawa Yanai 菱川彌内. All illustrations hand-coloured at a later date. Seals of ownership: None.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Unknown. Illustrator: Hishikawa Yanai 菱川彌内. Imprint: [Ōsaka] , Kashiwaya Yoichirō, Tenna 3, 1683. Kanki following batsu on fol. 22b reads: 天和三年 ／ 正月吉日 ／ 畫師 ／ 菱川弥内 ／ 柏や ／ 与市郎. Description: 1 kan, 1 satsu, rebound in 1 vol. western style. ff. 22. 25.6 x 18.2 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 22.6 x 16.9 cm. (average). Double-line borders round text and illustrations (separately). No fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text in gyōsho / sōsho style. 8-10 lines to page, few characters to line. Vermilion front cover, probably original, with renewed title slip on left bearing manuscript gedai: 戀の歌鏡 (in gyōsho). Title supplied from gedai and from reference in batsu to 'koi no utakagami' 恋の歌かゞみ. No naidai or hashiragaki, other than folio no. Edition: Apparently the only Edo period edition. Contents: Judging by the title, an anthology of love poems, with an illustration of each.

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 17. Fine arts 芸術 c. Book illustration 絵本・絵入本