Utsuho monogatari うつほものかたり

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 Or.64.b.28
  • Dates of Creation
    • [1620-1640]
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 2 volumes Condition: Good, apart from slight water staining affecting upper margins. Impression: Strokes thickened and blurred by worn type. Seals of ownership: Oblong red seal. Obama-shi zōsho 小汀氏藏書 on first page, and smaller oval red seal in hiragana, Obama をばま, on last page of both maki (library of Obama Toshie). Also square red seal, Getsumeisō 月明莊, on last page of both maki (seal of Kōbunsō).

Scope and Content

Variant title: Utsubo monogatari 宇津保物語. Author/compiler: Unknown. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [Genna / Kan'ei period, c. 1620-40] . No colophon. Description: 2 kan, 2 satsu. (上) ff. 46; (下) ff. 38. 27 x 17.6 cm. Fukurotoji. Movable type. Printing frame 21.1 x 15.8 cm. No borders. No fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text without furigana. 11 lines to page, 18-20 characters to line. Original dark-brown covers. No title slips or gedai. Title from naidai. Hashiragaki: Jō 上 (ge 下) + folio no. Chitsu case. Edition: One of three movable type editions identified in Kokatsujiban no kenkyū (pp. 511-2), all undated but all printed in Genna / Kan'ei period and none showing any textual differences. This copy corresponds to Kokatsujiban no kenkyū's Type 1 ('i'), 第一種本 (イ), It comprises Toshikage no maki 俊蔭の巻 only (the first section of Utsuho monogatari), like the other two movable type editions and the illustrated blockprint dated Manji 3 (1660) which followed. Kawase conjectures that the majority of contemporary manuscripts contained only the Toshikage no maki, and that this was the section most in demand. Contents: The Tale of the Hollow Tree. A story dating from the late 10th century concerning the legendary life and adventures of Kiyohara (or Kiyowara) no Toshikage 清原俊蔭 and three succeeding generations of his family. There are allusions to this work in Genii monogatari and Makura no sōshi.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Kōbunsō, 15 March 1974.

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 5.Literature - fiction 国文-小説 a.Early monogatari 古物語

Bibliography

Kokatsujiban no kenkyū 古活字版の研究, pp. 503, 511-2, 886, pl. 349; Kōbunsō kohanpon mokuroku 弘文荘古版本目録 p. 230.