Author/compiler: Obscure, but Ōtomo no Yakamochi 大伴家持 was chiefly responsible for compilation. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [latter half of Keichō period, c. 1605-15] . No colophon. Description: 20 kan, 10 satsu. (Satsu 1) maki 1-2, ff. 31, 45; (2) maki 3-4, ff. 62, 41; (3) maki 5-6, ff. 40, 47; (4) maki 7-8, ff. 42, 59; (5) maki 9-10, ff. 36, 63; (6) maki 11-12, ff. 48, 42; (7) maki 13-14, ff. 35, 36; (8) maki 15-16, ff. 40, 31; (9) maki 17-18, ff. 60, 38; (10) maki 19-20, ff. 48, 63. 28.5 x 20.7 cm. Fukurotoji. Movable type. Printing frame 23.3 x 17.2 cm. Double-line borders round all four sides, with 'flower petal' fishtail design on hanshin. Kanji (man'yōgana) text without printed kundoku or punctuation. 8 lines to page, 18 characters to line. Renewed mid-brown covers, old but not original. No title slips or gedai. Title from naidai. Hashiragaki: Man'yō maki 萬葉巻 + maki no. + folio no. In two modern brocade chitsu cases. Edition: Earliest edition of this work. Undated, but certainly printed before the end of Keichō period. It seems likely that the font of wooden type cut for Ieyasu's series of kanbun Fushimi 伏見 editions was taken over and used for printing this edition, supplemented by newly-engraved type for certain characters. Contents: The earliest and most celebrated anthology of Japanese poetry, compiled by Ōtomo no Yakamochi and others in the eighth century.
Man'yōshū 萬葉集 [万葉集]
This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections
- Reference
- GB 59 Or.64.b.24
- Dates of Creation
- [1605-1615]
- Language of Material
- Japanese
- Physical Description
- 10 volumes Condition: Generally good. Slight worm damage, skilfully repaired. Brown stains on first 12 folios of maki 1. Impression: Type shows some signs of wear. Seals of ownership: Red oblong seal, Obama-shi zōsho 小汀氏藏書 (library of Obama Toshie), small red square seal, Dokuto sōdō 讀杜艸堂 (seal of Terada Bōnan 寺田望南) and red oblong seal, Yamashina zōsho 山科藏書 appear on first page of each satsu. Manuscript notes: Manuscript kundoku, textual notes and reading marks in black and red, written in late-Edo period, appear in all vols. up to maki 7, fol. 30. A paper slip pasted on inner back cover of satsu 1 reads: 古活字版山科伯爵家傳來 讀杜莊 [sic] 堂旧藏 ／ 萬葉集 全十冊 / 昭和十五年十二月十九日 於南陽堂 / 同十六年一月目錄所載.
Scope and Content
Access Information
Not Public Record(s)
Unrestricted
Acquisition Information
Acquired from Kōbunsō, 15 March 1974.
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 7. Literature - poetry 国文-詩歌 a. Man'yōshū 万葉集
Bibliography
Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 5, pp. 554-71; Kokatsujiban no kenkyū 古活字版の研究, pp. 226, 550-1, pl. 451; Daitōkyū kinen bunko kichōsho kaidai 大東急記念文庫貴重書解題, vol. 3, p. 99; Kōbunsō kohanpon mokuroku 弘文荘古版本目録, p. 200.