Waka no tebiki 和哥の手引

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 16100.c.34
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1686
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume Condition: Good. A few folios soiled at lower corners and some worm damage (unrepaired) in maki 1, 3 and 5. Impression: Slightly atozuri, but in places sharp and clear, suggesting re-cut blocks. Illustrations: A total of 24 single-page sumizuri illustrations, each printed on recto and verso of the same leaf. Each illustrated folio bears the same number as the preceding folio, together with the ji 'mata' 又 (or 'zoku' 續 in the case of maki 3), and each is also independently numbered on the hanshin. Artist: Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣, according to signature 大和繪師菱河吉兵衛 printed in the Ryerson Library copy. See Ryerson Catalogue for details of all illustrations. Seals of ownership: Two circular black seals, possibly of kashihon'ya, on inner back cover of each maki.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Seiashō 井蛙抄. Variant title: E-iri waka no tebiki 繪入和哥の手引. Author/compiler: Ton'a 頓阿, monk and poet, 1289-1372. Imprint: Edo, Hon'ya Seibē, n.d. [printed, very probably, from the blocks of Jōkyō 3 貞享三年 (1686) ] . Kanki on fol. 23a of maki 6 reads: 九月吉辰日 江戸日本橋萬町 ／ 本屋清兵衛開板. Description: 6 kan, 5 satsu, in a box. (Satsu 1) ff. 12; (2) ff. 13; (3) ff. 13; (4) ff. 23; (5) ff. 1-4a (maki 5), 4b-23 (maki 6). 22.8 x 16 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 19.3 x 14.3 cm. (average). Single-line borders. No fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text with printed furigana. 12 lines to page, 23-24 characters to line. Original off-white covers overprinted with diagonal lattice design in green. Original title slips, centrally placed, with printed gedai: E-iri (tsunogaki) waka no tebiki 絵入 (角書) 和哥の手引. No naidai. Hashiragaki: Wa 和 + maki no. + folio no. Edition: The Jōkyō 3 (1686) edition is the only edition of Seiashō 井蛙抄 to bear this alternative title, E-iri waka no tebiki. Contents: A blend of waka poetry and monogatari fiction, consisting of collected anecdotes from earlier times demonstrating the efficacy of waka poetry in making friendships, furthering love affairs and even in pleasing the gods.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Richard Lane, 5 Aug. 1958.

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 7. Literature - poetry 国文-詩歌 b. Waka 和歌

Bibliography

Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 3, p. 568; Descriptive catalogue of Japanese and Chinese illustrated books in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago , pp. 107-8.