Chadō benmōshō 茶道便蒙抄

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 16027.d.16
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1690
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume Condition: Good. Minor worm damage, much of it repaired. Impression: Atozuri, from moderately worn blocks. Illustrations: Sumizuri sketches of teahouse plans and tea vessels on ff. 3-45 of maki 5. Seals of ownership: Narrow ogival red seal (undeciphered) at head of preface and on first page (mokuroku) of each maki.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Yamada Sōhen 山田宗徧, tea master, 1627-1708. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [Genroku 3, 1690 ?] . No colophon. Preface dated Jōkyō 3, 1686. Description: 5 kan, 5 satsu, rebound in 1 vol. western style. (1) ff. 2, 32; (2) ff. 15; (3) ff. 15; (4) ff. 8; (5) ff. 45, [1] . 24.6 x 19.9 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 21.5 x 16.4 cm. (average). No borders, nor rules bordering hanshin. No fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text without furigana. Prefaces and batsu in kanbun. 11 lines to page, 20-23 characters to line. Covers of all satsu missing, hence no title slips or gedai. Title from naidai at head of each maki and mokuroku. Hashiragaki: Benmōshō 便蒙抄 + maki no. + folio no. In a western style half-leather binding. Edition: The earliest edition recorded is that of Genroku 3 元禄三年 (1690). The present copy is presumed to belong to it, as the next edition was not published until Bunsei 10 (1827). First preface is dated Jōkyō 3 貞享丙寅 (1686), second preface Jōkyō 2 貞享乙丑 (1685), and batsu signed by the author is dated Enpō 8 延宝八庚申 (1680). Contents: An introductory work on the tea ceremony by one of the most celebrated tea masters of the Edo period.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from John Wilson, bookseller, London, 19 March 1873.

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 a. Tea ceremony 茶道

Bibliography

Text reprinted in Chadō zenshū 茶道全集, vol. 12.