Manjū まんぢう

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 16107.h.9
  • Dates of Creation
    • [1655-1661]
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 2 volumes Condition: Good, apart from water stains along lower edge of maki 上 and in maki 下. Minor worm damage repaired by urauchi patching. Impression: Slightly atozuri, but blocks show signs of only moderate wear. Illustrations: A total of 4 single-page and 1 double-page sumizuri woodcuts in the style of early Moronobu: 3 single in maki 上, 1 single and 1 double in maki 下. Seals of ownership: None.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Unknown. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [c. Meireki / Manji period, 1655-61 ?] . No colophon. See Edition below. Description: 2 kan, 2 satsu, in a chitsu case. (Maki 上) ff. [12]; (maki 下) ff. [13] . Folios unnumbered. 25.4 x 17.7 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 21.7 x 16.4 cm. (average). Single-line borders, with fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed dakuten but few furigana. 14 lines to page, 22-24 characters to line. Original mid-blue covers, with original printed title slips. Gedai: Shinpan (tsunogaki) Manjū 新板 (角書) まんちう. Title from naidai at head of each maki. No hashiragaki-title or folio no. Edition: An undated edition, probably datable to Meireki or Manji period (1655-61), likely from a set of 36 mai no hon 舞の本 published together. The earliest edition of Manjū was printed from movable type in Keichō period (see Or.64.b.26). This was followed by a seihan edition of the complete set, datable to Kan'ei period, with 10 lines to the page, and by a further edition. Contents: One of the 36 mai no hon (kōwaka bukyoku) telling the story, derived from Konjaku monogatari 今昔物語, of Tada no Manjū 多田の満仲 and his conversion to Buddhism.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Rinrōkaku, 15 Oct. 1963.

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 8. Literature - poetry 国文-詩歌 a. Kōwaka (Mai no hon) 幸若 (舞の本)

Bibliography

Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 5, p. 548; Naikaku bunko kokusho bunrui mokuroku 内閣文庫国書分類目録, p. 372; Tenri toshokan kisho mokuroku 天理図書館稀書目録, vol. 2, p. 161; Nihon bungaku shoshi 日本文学書誌, p. 770.