Shōsho 尚書

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 ORB 30/181
  • Dates of Creation
    • [1600-1624]
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume Condition: Good. Some pages slightly soiled through handling. Impression: Slight lack of clarity may be due to faulty type-cutting. Seals of ownership: Oblong red seal, Ryokuseidō toshoshō 綠靜堂圖書章 (seal of Sugihara Shinsai 杉原心齋) on first page of each former satsu (i.e. maki 1, 5 and 9). Manuscript notes: Scattered textual headnotes in black and red, dating from mid-Edo period.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Shokyō 書經 [書経]. Author/compiler: Unknown. Commentary by Kong Anguo 孔安國. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [Keichō / Genna period, c. 1600-24] . No colophon. Description: 13 kan, formerly in 3 satsu, now rebound in 1 vol. western style. (1) ff. 3 (preface), 2 (目録),12; (2) ff. 15; (3) ff. 15; (4) ff. 16; (5) ff. 19; (6) ff. 12; (7) ff. 20; (8) ff. 20; (9) ff. 15; (10) ff. 19; (11) ff. 15; (12) ff. 15; (13) ff. 6. 27.4 x 19.4 cm. Fukurotoji. Movable type. Printing frame 22.1 x 17.7 cm. Double-line borders all round. Vertical rules between columns. 'Flower petal' fishtail design on hanshin. Kanbun text, with manuscript okurigana and kaeriten in black and kutōten in red, dating from Kan'ei period or earlier. 8 lines to page (large characters), 16 lines (small characters), 17 characters to line. Original mid-blue front cover of satsu 1 only, embossed with a lozenge and kiri-flower design. Title slip on left with printed border. Handwritten gedai (mid-Edo period) : 尚書上. Hashiragaki: Shōsho 尚書 + maki no. + folio no. In a western style half-leather binding. Edition: Kokatsujiban no kenkyū distinguishes four movable type editions of this work, with commentary, and one with plain text only. All are undated and lack kanki or batsubun. The present copy belongs to Type 2. A Gozan-ban preceded these editions in the Nanbokuchō period. Contents: Text of the Shangshu 尚書 or Shujing 書經, the Book of History, with commentary by Kong Anguo of the Former Han.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Ernest M. Satow, 22 Sept. 1884.

Other Finding Aids

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993).A. Chinese works 漢籍 2. Chinese classics 経書

Bibliography

Kokatsujiban no kenkyū 古活字版の研究, pp. 372, 815, pl. 164-7; Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 3, p. 404.