Kaidan zensho 怪談全書

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 16107.d.30
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1698
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 5 volumes Condition: Good, apart from some soiled folios and a large ink stain on last folio of maki 1. Impression: An early impression from little-worn blocks. Illustrations: A total of 12 single-page sumizuri illustrations, 3 each in maki 1 and 2, 2 each in maki 3, 4 and 5. Each illustrated folio bears the same number as the preceding folio, plus mata 又. Seals of ownership: Oblong red seal, Yamawaki Suishōtei no zōsho 山脇翠松亭之藏書, on first page of each maki. Yamawaki's name is also handwritten on the mikaeshi of maki 1.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Hayashi Razan 林羅山, also known as Dōshun 道春, 1583-1657. Imprint: Edo, Nakano Magosaburō; Kyōto, Fukumori Hyōzaemon, Genroku 11, 1698. Kanki on fol. 14a of maki 5 reads: 元禄十一年 ／ 戊寅八月吉日 ／ 江戸上野仁王門筋中町 ／ 中野孫三郎 ／ 京五條橋通 ／ 福森兵左衛門 ／ 板行. Description: 5 kan, 5 satsu, in a box. (Maki 1) ff. 2 (目録), 1-11, 12 / 17, 18-22; (2) ff. 1-12, 13 / 18, 19-23; (3) ff. 1-11, 12 / 16, 17-19; (4) ff. 1-12, 13 / 16, 17-20; (5) ff. 1-6, 7 / 10, 11-14. 26.5 x 16.5 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 20.2 x 14.5 cm. (average). Single-line borders. Single flower-petal' fishtail design on lower part of hanshin. Katakana-majiri text with printed furigana. 9 lines to page, 22 characters to line. Original black covers, with original printed (but damaged) title slips on maki 2, 4 and 5. Renewed slips, also damaged, with manuscript title, on maki 1 and 3. Printed gedai: 有繪 (角書) 怪談全書. Title from naidai at head and tail of each maki. Hashiragaki: Kaidan 怪談 + + maki no. + folio no. Edition: Except for a later edition of Kanpō 2 (1742), this is the only recorded pre-modern edition. Contents: A collection of 32 kana-zōshi stories of the supernatural, drawn from Chinese literature and translated and adapted for Japanese readers by Hayashi Razan.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Rinrōkaku, 3 Oct. 1961.

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. 1, p. 553.