Genji monogatari 源氏物語

Author/compiler: Murasaki Shikibu 紫式部, fl. late 10th early 11th century. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [mid-Keichō period, c. 1600-10]. No colophon. Description: 54 kan, 54 satsu. Folios unnumbered. 28.5 x 20.5 cm. Fukurotoji. Movable type. Printing frame 22.3 x 18 cm. No borders. No printed hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text without furigana. 11 lines to page, 20-22 characters to line. Original covers of pale-blue paper treated with gofun and lightly sprinkled with mica dust. Each satsu has central title slip of pale grey paper overprinted with designs in mica (kira 雲母). All title slips are original (those for satsu 1 and 7 are lacking) and carry a gedai with name of chapter, blockprinted in a style characteristic of Hon'ami Kōetsu; it is not impossible that Kōetsu himself wrote the hanshita from which the gedai were printed. The 54 satsu are contained in five modern chitsu cases of yellow silk brocade, decorated with designs of flowers and grasses. Edition: Den Saga-bon, so called because of its several points of resemblance to the accepted canon of Saga-bon, e.g mica-decorated title slips printed in Kōetsu-style script, high quality paper, printing and physical make-up of volumes. Contents: Arguably the first great novel in world literature. Written wholly or in part by the court lady Murasaki Shikibu in the early years of the 11th century, concerning the life and loves of Prince Genji.

Unrestricted

Presented by Mr. Sorimachi Shigeo of Kōbunsō, 15 May 1982.

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 a. Early monogatari 古物語

Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 2, pp. 406-37; Kokatsujiban no kenkyū 古活字版の研究, pp. 512, 886, pl. 352; Takagi bunko kokatsuji-ban mokuroku 高木文庫古活字版目録, p. 5; Kōbunsō keiaisho zuroku 弘文荘敬愛書図録, p. 244.