Kimyō honganshō 歸命本願抄

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

  • Reference
    • GB 59 16007.c.21
  • Dates of Creation
    • [1649]
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 3 volumes Condition: Fair to good. No worm damage, but many folios are water-stained. Impression: Fairly clear, but blocks show distinct signs of wear in places. Seals of ownership: Round black seal, Fukuda-shi 福田氏, on inner back cover of each satsu.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Shōken 證賢, Jōdo monk of the Shōjōkein 清浄華院, Kyōto, 1263-1345. Also known as Kōa 向阿. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [Keian 2 慶安二年, 1649 ?] . No colophon. See Edition below. Description: 3 kan (上, 中, 下), 3 satsu, in a slip-case. (上) ff. 1-19; (中) ff. 20-24, [1] (continuous foliation); (下) ff. 1-18. 26.9 x 19.7 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 21.5 x 18.6 cm. (average). Single-line borders. Plain fishtail design on hanshin of ff. 1-44; 'flower petal' fishtail design on last folio of maki 中 and whole of maki 下. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed furigana and kutōten. 9 lines to page, 18-20 characters to line. Original buff covers with original printed title slips, complete except for that on maki 上, which has been repaired and missing characters written in by hand. Gedai: 歸命本願抄. Title from naidai at head of each maki. Hashiragaki: Kimyō jō (chū, ge) 歸命上 (中, 下) + folio no. Edition: Apparently an amalgam of two editions, similar but with slight differences (e.g. fishtail design on hanshin); probably those of Keian 2 慶安二年 (1649) and Enpō 2 延宝二年 (1674). By analogy with the copy of Fushi sōgō 父子相迎 dated Keian 2 (see 16007.c.22) which has similar jitai 字体, covers and title slips, the first two maki of the present copy may well be of the same 1649 edition. If this is correct, maki 上 and 中 (ff. 1-24) would belong to the 1649 edition and maki 下 (including unnumbered last folio of maki 中) to a different edition, possibly that of Enpō 2 (1674). Contents: An interpretation in simple language of the Jōdo doctrine of salvation through invocation to Amida, as set out in the 18th of the 48 Amidist vows contained in the Muryōjukyō 無量壽經. One of three works, with Fushi sōgō 父子相迎 and Saiyōshō 西要抄, known collectively as Sanbu kanashō 三部假名抄, and often printed together.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from James Troup, 21 May 1919.

Other Finding Aids

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993). B. Buddhist works 仏書 4. Jōdo, jōdo shinshū sects 浄土・浄土真宗

Bibliography

Bussho kaisetsu daijiten 仏書解説大辞典, vol. 2, p. 235; Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 3, p. 136.