Author/compiler: Unknown. Illustrator: Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣, 1618-94. Imprint: [Edo] , Hondoiya, Enpō 6, 1678. Kanki following batsu on fol. 21b reads: 延寶六年清明日 ／ 通油町 本問屋開板. Description: 1 kan, 1 satsu, in a buckram case. ff. 21. 26.5 x 18.4 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 23.5 x 16.8 cm. (average). Single-line borders, with a single horizontal rule 2 cm. below upper border, separating upper margin from text and illustrations. Double-line ornamental frame separating text (above) from illustrations (below). No fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed furigana only in preface and batsu. 15-16 lines to page, variable no. of characters to line. Renewed covers of green brocade decorated with floral pattern. Renewed title slip with manuscript gedai: 吉原恋の道引. Title from naidai on fol. 1a. Hashiragaki: Yoshiwara michibiki 吉原道引 + folio no. Edition: The only recorded pre-modern edition. Contents: A pictorial guide to the Yoshiwara district and its environs, compiler unknown. The illustrations are reliably attributed to Hishikawa Moronobu.
Yoshiwara koi no michibiki 吉原戀の道引 [吉原恋の道引]
This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections
- Reference
- GB 59 16107.a.35
- Dates of Creation
- 1678
- Language of Material
- Japanese
- Physical Description
- 1 volume Condition: Fair. Many folios soiled and rubbed. Torn and damaged folios in places, repaired by urauchi re-backing throughout. Impression: Slightly atozuri, but blocks show only moderate signs of wear. Illustrations: Double-page sumizuri woodcuts on every page from fol. 1b to 21a, depicting scenes in and around the Yoshiwara. Each mihiraki illustration occupies the lower part of the page, within a decorative frame. All illustrations have been hand-coloured at an unknown date, and are unsigned. Sumizuri designs of mon appear in the upper margin of each page. Seals of ownership: Two square red seals, Hayashi Tadamasa shozōin 林忠正所藏印 (seals of Hayashi Tadamasa) on first and last pages. Also an elongated red seal in shape of a koto, Kokōtei zōhon 古好亭藏本 (seal of the Horizu 堀津 family) on first page.
Scope and Content
Access Information
Not Public Record(s)
Unrestricted
Acquisition Information
Transferred from the British Museum in 1973.
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
Bibliography
Ukiyoe jiten 浮世絵事典, vol. 3, p. 427. Text transcribed, with text and illustrations reproduced in facsimile, in Yoshiwara fūzoku shiryō 吉原風俗資料, pp. 71-122.