Shasekishū 沙石集

Alternative reading of title: Shasekishū. Author/compiler: Mujū Ichien 無住一圓, Buddhist monk, 1226-1312. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [Genna period, c. 1615-20] . No colophon (but see notes under Edition below). Incomplete copy. Description: Maki 1-5, 5 satsu, lacking maki 6-10. Each maki is divided into two parts, jō 上 and ge 下. (Maki 1 上) ff. 16; (1 下) ff. [1] , 19; (2 上) ff. [1] , 23; (2 下) ff. [1] , 18; (3 上) ff. 19; (3 下) ff. [1] , 19; (4 上) ff. 18; (4 下) ff. [1] , 21; (5 上) ff. [1] , 24; (5 下) ff. [1] , 27. 27.5 x 20.1 cm. Fukurotoji. Movable type. Printing frame 23.5 x 17.8 cm. Single-line borders with 'flower petal' fishtail design on hanshin. Katakana-majiri text without furigana. 12 lines to page, 24 characters to line. Original dark brown covers, lacking original title slips. Renewed hand-lettered title slips (late-Edo period) on maki 1 and 2 only. Manuscript gedai on all 5 kan: Shasekishū 1 (etc.) 砂石集一 (等). Hashiragaki: Shaseki 沙石 + maki no. (上, 下) + folio no. In a modern blue chitsu case. Edition: Identification of edition presents problems, as this copy lacks maki 10 which would have contained a kanki. Kokatsujiban no kenkyū distinguishes four movable type editions, the first (a Yōhōji-ban 要法寺版) edited and published in Keichō 10 (1605) by the monk Enchi 圓智, whose name follows the printed kanki. Of the other editions, two are dated Genna 2 (1616) and Genna 4 (1618) respectively. Both contain 12 lines to the page and both are derived from Enchi's Yōhōji edition of Keichō 10. Unfortunately, no catalogue or bibliography appears to contain a reproduction of any page from maki 1-5 of either the 1616 or the 1618 editions. In the absence of any positive proof, the BL copy is tentatively assigned to the Genna 4 (1618) edition. Contents: A collection of didactic tales and anecdotes, relieved by a refreshing sense of humour, recording practical aspects of everyday life in the Kamakura period. Also a valuable source of information on popular Buddhism of the time. Compiled between 1279 and 1283.

Unrestricted

Acquired from Rinrōkaku 琳琅閣, 2 April 1964.

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 b. Setsuwa bungaku 説話文学

Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 3, p. 258; Kokatsujiban no kenkyū 古活字版の研究, pp. 262-4, 520-1, 702-3, 890-1; Tenri toshokan kisho mokuroku 天理図書館稀書目録, vol. 1, p. 162; Kokuritsu kokkai toshokan shozō kichōsho kaidai 国立国会図書館所蔵貴重書解題, vol. 13, pp. 62-6; Takagi bunko kokatsuji-ban mokuroku 高木文庫古活字版目録 , p. 10.