Sayoarashi 小夜嵐

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 Or.81.c.19
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1698
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 10 volumes Condition: Good, apart from some soiled corners and minor worm damage. Impression: Atozuri from worn blocks. Illustrations: A total of 76 sumizuri woodcuts, 59 double-page (mihiraki) and 17 single-page, distributed through the 10 kan as follows: (maki 1) 3 double, 5 single; (2) 8 double, 2 single; (3) 9 double, 2 single; (4) 4 double, 4 single; (5) 5 double, 2 single; (6) 6 double, 1 single; (7) 6 double, 0 single; (8) 6 double, 1 single; (9) 6 double, 0 single; (10) 6 double, 0 single. graphic depiction of scenes from the story. Seals of ownership: Square red seal, Tokakuan 兎角菴, on first page of honmon of each maki.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Sayoarashi monogatari 小夜嵐物語. Author/compiler: Unknown. Formerly attributed to IHARA Saikaku 井原西鶴, but this is spurious. Imprint: Kyōto, Tomikura Tahē; Ōsaka, Murakami Seizaburō; Edo, Ogawa Shinbē, Genroku 11, 1698. Kanki on fol. 34a of maki 10 reads: 元禄十一戊寅歳孟春吉旦 西鶴書 ／ 京一条鏡石町 富倉太兵衞 ／ 大坂高麗橋 村上清三郎 ／ 江戸日本橋萬町 小川新兵衞. Description: 10 kan, 10 satsu, in a chitsu case. (Maki 1) ff. 1 (mokuroku), 33; (2) ff. 40; (3) ff. 39; (4) ff. 36; (5) ff. 36; (6) ff. 37; (7) ff. 34; (8) ff. 36; (9) ff. 32; (10) ff. 34. 22.3 x 15.7 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 19 x 14.1 cm. (average). Single-line borders, without fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed furigana, dakuten and kutōten. 11 lines to page, 19-21 characters to line. Original mid-blue covers with printed title slips. Gedai: E-iri (tsunogaki) sayoarashi 繪入 (角書) 小夜嵐. Hashiragaki: Sayoarashi 小夜嵐 + maki no. + folio no. Edition: The only pre-modern edition of this work. Contents: An ukiyo-zōshi novel of jigoku henreki 地獄遍歴 type, with elements derived from the kana-zōshi genre. It tells a moral Buddhist tale of a successful revolt against Enma-ō, king of the underworld, by famous warriors of the past condemned to suffer the torments of hell.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Kōbunsō, 3 May 1976.

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 g.Ukiyo-zōshi 浮世草子

Bibliography

Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 3, pp. 79-80; Saikaku 西鶴, pp. 166-7, pl.464-5; Kinsei bungei meicho hyōhonshū 近世文芸名著標本集, 24 shū; text reprinted in Tokugawa bungei ruijū 徳川文芸類聚, vol. 3.