Honchō retsujoden 本朝列女傳 [本朝列女伝]

This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 59 16087.a.2
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1668
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume Condition: Excellent. Impression: Atozuri from worn blocks. Illustrations: A total of 181 single-page sumizuri woodcuts illustrating incidents in the lives of famous women. For subject matter, numbering and placing of all illustrations, see Ryerson Catalogue, pp. 59-65. Seals of ownership: None, but an oblong red seal of the publisher Katsumura Jiemon 勝村治右衞門 (Buntokudō 文德堂) is impressed on the tobira.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Honchō kokon retsujoden 本朝古今列女傳 [本朝古今列女伝 ]. Variant title: Zenzō honchō kokon retsujoden 全像本朝古今列女傳 [全像本朝古今列女伝]. Author/compiler: Kurosawa Hirotada 黒澤弘忠, also known as Sekisai 石齋, 1622-78. Imprint: [Kyōto] , Katsumura Jiemon, Kanbun 8, 1668. Kanki at end of maki 10, fol. 9b of kōjo 後序, reads: 寛文第八歳次戊申仲春上澣 ／ 勝村治右衛門. Description: 10 kan, formerly in 6 satsu, rebound in 1 vol. western style. (Maki 1) ff. [1] (tobira), 9 (author's preface 叙), 4 (preface 序 printed Meireki 3 明暦三年, 1657), 2 (凡例), 1 (総目), 1 (目録), 32; (maki 2) ff. 16; (3) ff. 42; (4) ff. 61; (5) ff. 43; (6) ff. 15; (7) ff. 22; (8) ff. 43; (9) ff. 14; (10) ff. 35, 9 (kōjo 後序). 24.7 x 18.3 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 21.7 x 16.9 cm. (average). Double-line borders round text and illustrations. Fishtail design on hanshin. Kanbun text with printed kunten and kutōten. 10 lines to page, 20 characters to line. Light blue front cover of satsu 1 only, with printed title slip on left. Gedai: 本朝列女傳･･･ 壹. Title from gedai and tobira. Naidai at head of main text of each maki: Zenzō honchō kokon retsujoden 全像本朝古今列女傳. Naidai at head of each mokuroku 目録, except of maki 1: Honchō kokon retsujoden 本朝古今列女傳. Hashiragaki: 本朝列女傳 + maki no. +folio no. In a western style half-leather binding. Edition: The only pre-modern edition, according to Kokusho sōmokuroku 国書総目録. Contents: Brief lives of 217 celebrated Japanese women, drawn from history and legend. Modelled on the Han Chinese work Lienüchuan 列女傳.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Alexander von Siebold, 22 July 1868.

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 9. History and biography 歴史・伝記 e. Biography 伝記

Bibliography

Descriptive catalogue of Japanese and Chinese illustrated books in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago , pp. 59-65.