Kōseki-kō sosho 黃石公素書

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 Or.81.c.18
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1615
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume Condition: Excellent. Impression: An early impression, shozuri or near. Seals of ownership: Oblong red seal, Obama bunko 小汀文庫 (ex-libris Obama Toshie 小汀利得) and two other oblong red seals on first page. Two square red seals, one printed inkoku, on last page. Also an oblong red seal impressed on title slip. Manuscript notes: Shubiki and kutōten added in red ink.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Sosho 素書. Author/compiler: Unknown. Traditionally attributed to the legendary HuangShi-gong 黃石公 of the Han period. Imprint: N.p., Genshō 玄昌, Keichō 20, 1615. Batsu on unnumbered folio after fol. 30 ends as follows: 慶長二十年乙卯𨳝六月下澣 大龍老夫玄昌書. Description: 1 kan, 1 satsu, in a modern chitsu case. ff. 30, [1] . 29 x 21.5 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 16.8 x 14 cm. (average). Double-line borders with 'flower petal' fishtail design on hanshin. Kanbun text, with printed okurigana and kaeriten supplied by the editor and publisher, Genshō 玄昌. 8 lines to page, 16 characters to line. Original fawn covers, with original printed title slip on left bearing gedai: Sosho zenbu 素書 全部. Title from naidai. Hashiragaki: Sosho 素書 + folio no. Edition: The first Japanese edition of this work, followed by others from Kan'ei period (1624-44) onwards. Batsu written by the Rinzai monk Genshō 玄昌, 1555-1620, also known as Bunshi Genshō 文之玄昌 and Nanpo Genshō 南浦玄昌. Contents: Japanese edition of the Chinese work Sushu 素書, a Taoist philosophical treatise applied to military tactics. Authorship traditionally attributed to Huangshi-gong 黃石公, but now believed to have been compiled in its present form by Zhang Shangying 張商英, who annotated the text in the Song period.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Gyokueidō, 15 Dec. 1980.

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 11. Military science 兵法

Bibliography

Kokatsujiban no kenkyū 古活字版の研究, p. 356; Kanseki kaidai 漢籍解題, p. 249; Shina gakugei daijii 支那学芸大辞彙, p. 741.