Nokiba no ume 軒端梅

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 Or.75.f.10
  • Former Reference
    • GB 59 Pr. Or. 114
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1672
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume Condition: Fair. Ff. 6-10 water-stained. Lower half of fol. 2 missing and replaced by new paper. Ff. 3-4 and 6 repaired by urauchi patching at lower edge. Impression: A clear impression from little-worn blocks. Seals of ownership: Square red seal (unidentified) on mikaeshi. (This must date from a period before Kaempfer's visit to Japan in 1690-92.) Octagonal British Museum stamp, MVSEVM BRITANNICVM, impressed above okuzuke. Manuscript notes: Notes on two paper slips pasted to front cover: (1) A Book of Instruction by a Chinese Priestess / Examined by Chetqua / Decr. 17. 1770; (2) A Boudhic work in Japanese attributed to the Goddess Kwan she yin. Also a pencilled note in the handwriting of Arthur Waley on endpaper inserted before fol. 2: The Nō play 'Tōboku' 東北, better known as 'Nokiba no Ume' 軒端の梅, by Seami Motokiyo 世阿弥元清. It deals with the story of the poetess Izumi Shikibu. Published by Yamamoto Chōbei, 1671 [sic] . Old shelfmark, Pr: Or: 114, on title slip.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Tōboku 東北. Author/compiler: Unknown. Imprint: [Kyōto] , Yamamoto Chōbēnojō, Kanbun 12, 1672. Okuzuke pasted on inner back cover reads: 此本者以觀世左近太夫 ／ 章句寫之幷加當流秘密 ／ 今改正而令開板者也 ／ 寛文四年正月吉日 ／ 二条通御幸町西へ入町 ／ 山本長兵衛尉新刋 ／ 寛文十二壬子初秋又改申候 當流金屋〓. Description: 1 kan, 1 satsu, in a box. ff. 2-10, [1] (fol. 1 apparently missing). 195 x 136 mm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 155 x 125 mm. No borders. No fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed dakuten and chanter's fushi on right. 6 lines to page, 15-17 characters to line. Original black covers, with renewed title slip on left bearing manuscript gedai: 軒端梅. Title from naidai on damaged folio 2a. Hashiragaki: Nokiba 軒端 + folio no. Edition: Edition of Kanbun 4 (1664) further revised in Kanbun 12 (1672), as indicated in okuzuke transcribed above. Contents: Text of the nō play Nokiba no ume, later known as Tōboku 東北.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Purchased from the estate of Engelbert Kaempfer by Sir Hans Sloane 1723-1725 and incorporated in the British Museum in 1753.

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 d. Jōruri 浄瑠璃

Bibliography

Tōhoku daigaku fuzoku toshokan betchibon mokuroku 東北大学附属図書館別置本目録, p. 53.