Shittan ketchakushō 悉曇決擇鈔

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 ORB 30/148
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1670
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume Condition: Good. Minor worm damage. Fol. 16 of maki 4 has been bound in upside-down. Impression: Not shozuri, but printed from relatively unworn blocks. Seals of ownership: Red oblong seal of Sir Ernest Satow, 英國薩道藏書, on first page of maki 1 and 3. Red seal within double frame, Shaku Dai'in toshoki 釋大寅圖書記, at head of maki 3. Another seal of Dai'in and two large red seals (unidentified) on first page of maki 1.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Chōkaku 長覺, Shingon monk of Kōyasan, 1340-1416. Imprint: [Kyōto] , Tawara Nizaemon, Kanbun 10, 1670. Kanki on last page reads: 覧文拾年庚戌菊月吉旦 ／ 二條通鶴屋町田原仁左衛門刻. Between folios 32 and 33 of the last maki (5) is an unnumbered folio, marked simply 乙, and headed 刻考覈決擇二鈔引. On the verso of this folio is a further kanki by the same publisher, dated 10 months earlier and perhaps printed erroneously in advance of publication. It reads: 寛文九年十二月穀旦書舗田原氏仁左衛門鋟梓. Description: 5 kan, formerly in 2 satsu, now rebound in 1 vol. western style. (1) ff. 1, 43; (2) ff. [1] , 33; (3) ff. [1] , 32; (4) ff. [1] , 28; (5) ff. [1] , 33. 27.2 x 17.6 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 22.5-23.2 x 14.8 cm. Single-line borders with fishtail design on lower part of hanshin. Kanbun text with printed okurigana (katakana) and kaeriten. 9 lines to page, 22 characters to line,. Original (?) dark blue front cover of satsu 1 and back cover of satsu 2, within a western style cloth binding. No title slip. Manuscript gedai: 悉曇決擇鈔. Naidai and gedai identical. Hashiragaki: the same + maki no. + chapter title + folio no. Edition: The first edition, according to Kokusho sōmokuroku 国書総目録, was published in Kanbun 9 (1669). This is therefore the second edition. Contents: Interpretations of doubtful points selected from a number of Tantric Sanskrit works in siddham script.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Purchased by the British Museum from Rev. Andrew Patton, Ballymena 7 April 1906.

Other Finding Aids

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993).B. Buddhist works 仏書 9. Shingon sect 真言宗

Bibliography

Bussho kaisetsu daijiten 仏書解説大辞典, vol. 4, p. 345; Shōwa genson Tendai shoseki sōgō mokuroku 昭和現存天台書籍綜合目録, vol. 2, p. 872.